April 2006

Time to hit Florida for a quick week then off to Atlanta! This month we discuss our last week in Arizona, the trip to Florida, B.A.R.F. (the place, not the act), and the beginning of Georgia. We had a very busy last couple weeks in Arizona. In addition to having to pack up, we had the R.E.S.C.U. Rally, and our AZ Fan meet and greet.

As usual, we had our Fan meet and greet at an adult arcade style venue. This time it was Gameworks at Arizona Mills. I knew we had doubled our membership in the Grand Canyon State, but had no idea how many people would show up! We had a better turn out than Carolina last year and we’re much bigger there. Or, at least we were. Arizona really stepped up this year. Partially due to our new location. This year we moved to the boathouse stage. It has more seating, and a lot more incidental traffic. We had over 30 people show up for the meet and greet! It was awesome! What a fun group of people! They actually had to put us in two different dining areas. The outpouring of love from the phoenix area has really been overwhelming. I almost think we really do have a little talent. How ‘bout that! In addition to a great meet and greet. We’ve enjoyed increased merchandise sales and better tips too! Thanks Arizona, you rock!

 

Lunch with FL chapter head Jay and friends

AZ fan meet and greet

The last big event for Arizona was the R.E.S.C.U. Rally. R.E.S.C.U. is a non-profit organization that helps renaissance performers and other traveling employees from financial ruin when pitted against major illnesses or other catastrophes. You see, being self employed it’s very hard to carry health insurance. Something the entire country has to deal with! (You hear that Washington, D.C.!) Each year in Arizona they put on a Casino night to raise money for the organization. You can buy chips to 'gamble' with and then trade your winnings for raffle tickets to win cool prizes donated by other performers or artisans. They also have a silent auction the same night.

Several years ago we commissioned some fellow performers with carpentry skills to make us a traveling prop trunk. You see, we were having problems finding something not too modern looking to store our props during and after a show. It was a great idea but cost way too much and when it was completed it was too big, bulky, and definitely too heavy. The decision was made to leave it in Arizona and only use it at that show. We did that for a couple of years until we found something better and lighter. We just stopped using it after that and it sat at the Fairhaven stage for like two years. So when we moved to the Boathouse stage this year and we had to move it to make room for the other acts on that stage I thought to myself... "Hmm, maybe we should donate it to the silent auction to help raise money." I mentioned the idea to the boys and they loved it! Little did we know it would be one of the highest bid on items of the night. And even better, Arsene of Paris was the winning bidder. He’s a mostly silent 'clown' that we all look up to. He’s an amazing performer and someone we’d love to work with in the future. He’s even said he be willing to direct one of our Palooza shows. Anyway, it was really cool to have him be so excited to win something of ours.

 

Riki, Jef, and Doug at the RESCU Rally

Ronn and Richard play blackjack at the casino night

Arsene wins our trunk

Jef is happy, Steve is surprised!

The last thing on the bill the night of the rally was a burlesque show put on by some of the local girls. Some were performers, some were not. But, they put on one heck of a show. Not only were they sexy, but they were original and funny too. I was very impressed with what they put together in such a short time. A great time was had by all and a measurable amount was raised for a very good cause.

The last weekend of the fair happened to fall on April Fools Day. It’s a little known fact, but The Tortuga Twins’ birthday falls on the same day! (Come on, it’s only fitting.) It’s both the literal and figurative birthday for our characters. You see, we’ve adopted April first for D’ Angelo, Scaramouche and Raphael’s birthdays. But, the first time Ronn, Riki, and I performed on the same stage as Tortuga’s was on an April first. I’ve always thought it was only a matter of time before someone hit us with an April fool’s monster!

Cindy, our chapter head in Arizona, took it upon herself to play a little prank on us. (Well not really that little) All day long she was handing little slips of paper to all our fans and pretty much anyone that showed any interest in watching our show. We never saw one of these slips. All day long and we had no idea what she was planning. You see, at the beginning of our "R" rated show we do many disclaimers to cover our collective butts. That day was no exception. Ronn says "...if you’re the type of person that’s gonna call or email our boss and complain, due us all a favor...", and we all chime in, "Get the hell out now!!", and we all point towards the front gate. Normally, everyone laughs and we start the show... but not that day. We delivered our line "...get the hell out now!!" and 700+ people got up from their seats and started to walk away. WE WERE BLOWN AWAY!! Ronn just stood there with his mouth open, Riki turned white (well, whiter than normal) and I was actually speechless. Me! Speechless!! We all started to laugh along with the audience, which didn’t really leave by the way. Then they all broke out into applause. I said "Don’t move!" and ran backstage to get my camera. I took this little panorama pic to show the size of the audience on their feet. What a great day! Special thanks to Cindy and all the people who participated in making us April fool’s.

 

AZ April Fool's Day PanoramaWell, that about did it for Arizona 2006, all that was left was the drive home. After Sunday nights cast party I left for Florida. I left that night ‘cuz I wanted to get the hell home and get ready for the Bay Area Renaissance Festival’s last weekend. A show I had just contracted us for at the last minute. Apparently, they got so many phone calls and emails that they decided to bring us in for the last weekend after all. So, off I went. But, I wasn’t alone our friend Katrina was also headed east. She was on her way to Georgia, which starts the weekend after the Tampa show. Most of the drive was the same until Alabama where she’d head northeast to Atlanta. I was happy to have her tag along since she’s young, alone and new to this long distance driving thing. The trip took us about two days and six hours. That’s pretty good time considering its 2100 miles. (You can read and watch the trip in my new Mini-video travelogue coming soon to a fan club website near you!)

Once in Florida, it was time to entertain the maniacs that created us. The Tampa bay audience. And... perform the fabled BEER SHOW! [Click her for dramatic SFX]

We’ve enjoyed some great times in Florida. It’s the state where the Tortugas cut their teeth in the comedy and renaissance game. We have some truly fanatical fans there. We got to visit all our friends and our fan club chapter head Jay Bowen. This year we actually had our own Merchandise tent, thanks to our friend Fritz! I grew up in Florida but every year we return to do the end of the Bay Area show I forget how freakin’ hot and humid it is. My god, I thought I was gonna die! Despite the heat and liquid air we had a great time, as did the fans. I managed to drink quite a bit at the beer show but not so much as to leave me face down in the dirt (like last year). We had a great turn out for the last beer show. The crowd went nuts! [Click for the clip in Windows Media or in RealMedia] We even managed to finish the show before the end of the festival day. I hope we can keep doing those small partials in Florida. It’s always nice to perform in front of the home crowd. Another special thanks to all our Tampa bay fans that make it so enjoyable for me to come home. Thanks, everyone!

 

Look out WalMart - it's TortugaMart!

Enjoying the Florida heat and humidity

Johnny Pheonix and fans

After B.A.R.F. it was off to G.A.R.F. (The Georgia Renaissance Festival) It’s a short seven hour drive to the GA festival site. (Short in comparison that is.) Sharon and I will be staying above Ruth’s booth the first weekend as our trailer is still being repaired. (Remember the hail storm from last September in Minnesota?)

So far we’ve had a near record opening weekend in Georgia. I just hope it continues that way, since we have our new merchandise cart here as well. Thanks to all and wish us luck as usual. See ya in Georgia! ‘Til next time!