Chris Kipiniak

The cast of Argonautika’s on dinner break between the matinee and evening shows here at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. It’s always quiet in the green room between shows—the crew actually eats, and are polite enough to keep their conversations low, but most of the cast scarfs stuff down as quick as they can so they can spend the bulk of the time napping, sprawled on couches, chairs, floor, what have you. It’s a tiring show and Sundays are particularly tough because it’s the end of the week and we have a five-show weekend (Friday, two Saturday, two Sunday). Today’s a little different because it’s our last day. In a couple hours we can check off another city.

Most of us have been with the show since October, having signed up for the full, three stop, co-co-co-production, though there were two actors who only did Berkeley, and there are four cast members who have been on the Argo even longer, having been part of the show’s development back in Fall of 2006 in Chicago. They got a cake for their 100th show a month before the rest of us. And they wouldn’t share.

The last show on a tour like this has an awkward, in-between feeling. We’re closing but we’re not closing. We’re done but not done. We’re still in DC, but the preparations for Princeton have already started, including having our new Stage Manager Alison, a McCarter mainstay, calling the show. Plus we got to meet some of the McCarter backstage crew when they came down to see a show earlier in the week. Everyone in the cast’s got their plane/train reservations and is close to being packed. You feel like you should get weepy when you’re saying goodbye but again—it’s goodbye to one, and hello to another. I asked one woman on the run crew what she was doing with her time off and she looked at me blankly before reminding me that there’s another show coming in right behind us and that the crew is called at 8:00 am on Tuesday morning.

So, there’s no need to worry about goodbyes. Who’s got time? In a week, we’re off to the McCarter! All that’s left is to actually do the last show. Which we haven’t done. And, since I didn’t have a nap like the rest of them, I’m going to grab a cup of coffee.

Posted by Chris Kipiniak, who plays “Castor” and others in McCarter Theatre’s Production of Argonautika.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 at 6:39 pm and is filed under Actors' Voices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.