I was going to blog about our "Heliopolis" show at the Marin Theater this week, and all the chaotic tension leading up to it, but I think this email thread between Jeffrey and Donald (a producer who is trying to get a reality TV show about us in the works) says it better:

Hi Donald,

Show was exceptional! Received a standing ovation, the crowd average age was 60+ and very discriminating in regards to theater so the producer was on edge up until the performance because of all the elements ie: snake, fire, contortion, lots of skin and belly dancing, the crowd loved all the components, especially when in the snake act the snake charmer had 8 very large snakes wrapped around his head covering his face and there were 5 other large snakes being manipulated by the dancers.

There was a lot of drama leading up to it, we ended up producing the show, because of union issues around using the existing lighting plot, house sold out and there was a waiting list for seats.

Overall it was a beautiful show and yes, we can’t wait to do it again, this time without the drama.
Cheers!
jeffrey

-Wonderful!
But for the TV show, keep the drama. Or at least be able to "connect" to it again. Or, there will always be drama of some kind.
d

-There is always drama; such is the nature of circus and life! J You would have had to bleep, bleep, Greg screaming at the producer to “produce the &*%^&% show and don’t give me any nicey, nicey bull…!" Of course at hearing him screaming on the phone, I decided to sage the house to expunge the bad energy, the doorbell rings, the front living room is full of smoke, I have a sage urn burning in my hand as I answer the door, Greg is screaming in the background and a new costumer arrives for the first time and day of work. She a little perplexed! I offer her tea, tell her to never mind the cussing and screaming, she laughs, made it through the day and was at the show last night. -J
* * * * *

So..."Heliopolis" was a miraculous success. We sold out the show and got a partial standing from our dazzled audience, albeit, after a lot of stress and strife. We had our very first and only cue-to-cue (that's the part where we run through everyone's entrances and exits in order of the show w/ lights and sound, for all you non-theatre folks) just a couple of hours before the show. Everyone had to multi-task like crazy: each of the dancers was in almost every act, many of us were balancing technical/production positions while preparing to perform, etc. For example, yours truly got to open the show with her taksim (middle eastern improvisational music/dance), then run backstage to change costume, then re-enter to play duf (mid-eastern frame drum), and then run backstage again and stage manage the rest of the show! Oh- AND I get to operate a few light cues from backstage while I'm at it. Oh boy! And what FUN it was to step in as stage manager just before the show and call all the cues with a herd of artists glaring at me because they don't want me telling them what to do! Meanwhile poor Gregg Hood, Cecilia Palmtag, and Hiromi Yoshida, are losing their minds and sweating bullets while trying to operate our tech cues from outdated lighting equipment.
When the show is finally about to begin at 7:30 (after a full day of working in the theater for the first time), I relax before taking the stage with my dance. I immediately feel myself again, knowing that my body will finally have a chance to release the day and breathe the evening. I feel completely free and blissful as I dance, and the audience is grateful. Heliopolis begins with a riveting and powerful drum ensemble and dance piece, and from that moment on, they love us. Everything is a success. On the clearcom headset backstage, I hear Cecilia cooing and laughing with delight at each act, until....about midway through the show I hear her say with forced calm, "Okay, I think we may have set off the A-track." That sounds bad. "What does that mean?" I ask, with equal calm. "The fire alarm is going to go off."
"S***! Okay. What can I do to stop that?"
"Nothing."
silence
"Gregg Hood is on the phone trying to work it out."
"Okay, so in the event that this happens, what do we do?"
"Calmly escort everyone out of the building."
"Okay. Naja will take care of the artists. I will make the announcement to the audience. And then how do we turn off the fire alarm?"
"We don't know."
"And the people who work here at the theater?"
"They don't know either."
"Great."
"Puffy white clouds. Just imagine puffy white clouds."
"Yes, puffy white clouds--NOT from smoke."
"Um, uh, blue skies? Daisies?"
"Puppies and kittens."
"Puppies and kittens."
Well, amazingly the fire alarm DIDN'T go off. The whole show was a success, and we all slept very, very well that night! (I'm still recovering.)