2 performances, 240 audience members...
at the Goode Crowley Theater. We'd forgotten how exciting it is to work in a space that gets really, really DARK. Why isn't this ever possible in Austin? Fire codes? I love it when the lights go down during a show, and you have no idea what you'll see when they come back up.
A sampling of friends and notables in attendance: Wallace Shawn, Deborah Eisenberg, Robert Irwin, Dinaw Mengestu, Kathy Sova, Larry Randolph, Lyova Rosanoff, Rebecca Beegle, Brian Poyser, Kyle Henry, Spenser Parsons, and Margaret Halpin.
Served at the opening night party: spicy grilled shrimp, steak, quail, salads with beets and sweet potatoes, and deceptively subtle mixed drinks.
At some point during the party, Wally described Matt and myself as "the two wildest men" of our generation. We weren't sure how to respond, so we left the party and went straight to bed...
...at Robert Bellamy's House on the Hill.
Animals we saw while we walked the town: jackrabbits, roadrunners, wild horses, antelope, goats, and Marfa's most submissive dog. The dog is pictured below. We've never encountered anything quite like this poor creature. As it approached us, it folded its front legs in two and lowered its head towards the ground, sniffing and careening about with a drunken step. Utterly freaky and unsettling.
Three sources of inspiration during the trip:
1. Dirty Danny, the World's Filthiest Homosexual. We read about Dirty D in Carlos's favorite magazine. Dirty D hasn't washed himself since 1977. He has seldom met an equal in filth. He hates cleanies. Even though we continued to shower on a daily basis, D's commitment to his extreme life practice gave us the motivation to put on the best show possible.
2. YELLOW BURRITOS from the Town & Country convenience stores. A better 4th meal than Taco Bell could ever hope to provide, these deep-fried beauties put us to bed each night dreaming of elementary school cafeterias.
3. The amazing hospitality of our Marfa hosts. Let it be known that the Rubber Repertory has never been treated so well in our five+ years of existence. We were provided with fruit from local orchards, muffins every morning, local craftsmen to help build our set, and a steady stream of good advice. It's no wonder that Carlos seemed a bit choked-up when he declared: "This must be how artists are treated in Europe!" Oui, en effet. Oui, en effet.
