Thanksgiving Break...

...is this week! We only have two more nights of rehearsal before we break for the four-day vacation. As we make our travel plans, looking forward to seeing family members and eating family meals, we realize with excitement (or slight nervousness?) that we are suddenly very close to Opening Day.

Holiday Follies opens on Dec. 4. We move into the Taft Theatre on the previous Monday and Tuesday, starting in one week. That's not much time.

As always, we'll be ready in time. The big mystery with every production is how we will get there.

--

I imagine most of the children in the show are just happy to have a long break from school. I know I was, when I was their age. Thanksgiving Break was always a thing to look forward to, a chance to catch up--not just on homework or hobbies, but to catch up with family and friends, too--and relax, almost a full week of playing outside while the weather was still warm enough that you could get away with wearing a jacket; of raking, piling, and demolishing a mound of scratchy (but somehow very soft) ground-colored leaves; of relishing this first taste of the longer, winter vacation to come...the freedom, the food, the fun. It was the signal to begin thinking about the holiday season.

Now, as a grown-up actor working for a children's theatre, I find myself drifting in waves of nostalgia, more and more every day. One of the most observed perks of working with and for children is that you can remain in-touch with that "inner child," and it is a connection we are all happy to have.

I think of folks like Leo, who plays our Santa Claus, how he's always chuckling and playing at rehearsal. Or Bob, who plays the idea-crazy Ted Tastic in Holiday Follies, who does something different and hilarious at every rehearsal. Or Leslie, who plays the Stage Mother, who is always seen giving gifts or sharing home-prepared snacks. With people like this, it's no wonder The Children's Theatre is able to employ the same actors over and over, year after year, show upon show.

There are some good folks that work here. I'm proud to be a part of such a fun, and fun-loving, group.

--

Before I finish this post, I want to re-invite all you readers to buy tickets to our shows. Tickets for Follies continue to sell, and we are grateful for your support. Please consider also the Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 12, where we will be serving breakfast/brunch, raffling off wonderful gift options, and having a fun holiday celebration!

Thank you again for your patronage of The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!