Kennedy Center, Southern Cali, and Spoleto Festival USA
Jason Neulander
The Edinburgh trip was really a highlight of our two years of touring, but this season didn't end there. We flew directly from Scotland to Washington DC and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where we played four school shows and five public performances of Book One. Every one of them was sold out. That's right. We sold out our run at the Kennedy Center. In fact, not only were we the best selling show in this particular series, but they even added a performance. Just incredible. The response was so amazing that we sold out of about 2/3 of our merchandise at the very first public performance!
One of the highlights of the Kennedy Center gig was that I saw a couple of close friends whom I hadn't seen since my college days. And I caught up with my cousin Mark, who's now a retired Colonel, USAF. My wife and youngest daughter met me and Piper there as well and we had a blast touring the museums and eating some great meals.
We managed to catch a few days at home before flying to Costa Mesa, California, and playing shows at the Segerstrom Center there and at Citrus College, down the road in Glendora, CA.
The shows there were fantastic! Once again, at the Segerstrom Center, we sold out every one of them! In fact, it went so well that they're having us back in November with Book Two as part of a larger tour of California. We tried something brand new at those shows, too: audience participation. The audience lent their voices to a couple of key moments in the show. The part that worked best was when Mysterion hypnotizes the crowd and the audience joined in for the "yes master". I loved it so much that I think I'm going to add it to performances in the future.
From SoCal, we flew directly to Charleston SC where we played six shows at Spoleto Festival USA, one of the most prestigious performing arts festivals in the world. What an honor to play shows at the same festival as theatre legends like Stephen Berkoff and the folks who created the puppet horse in the Tony-winning play War Horse! The audiences there ate it up and it was so much fun to be the lowbrow alternative to events like a concert performance of Vivaldi's Requiem! They even threw a party in our honor--a special event for young donors. Super-cool!
One of the real highlights of Spoleto was when Cami Alys, our incredible touring Foley artist, led a sound effects workshop for kids staying at the Charleston Children's Hospital. Our team was so moved that they had to turn away for fear of bursting into tears. It's really awesome to be able to interact with locals in this way, particularly with kids who really can use a little extra joy in their lives.
Fingers crossed, we'll be back at Spoleto for Book Three!
Next stop: the Ann Arbor Summer Festival on June 30!
It was amazing mind blowing I realy enjoyed it
everyone in primary 5/6 stood up and aplauded
It was amazing absoulutly amazing it was brilliant I really enjoyed it everyone enjoyed it in p5/6 I thought it was brilliant at the very end i stood up and was shouting woooooooooo intill I couldnt breath and clapping intill my hands hurt and it was that brilliant that I would go and see it a million times more.
Bethany burnett p5/6
I loved the show it was so cool and powerfull show ever i almost cried at the end i want to watch it again becaus the actors were just amazing they done so so good and at the end th hole class stood up it took me by surprise!!! victoria donegan P5/6
I have got to admit it has been the best trip ever in my appinion. It was amazing because ther was only 3 sound people and they done about 10 voices each. The piano player was fantastic with all the low notes and all the high notes. Molly was realy nice and how she could do all they different voices. The sound man up on stage was out of this world the wind sounded very real. The most favourite person I like was the doc and all the other people he played. It was like he had turned into a different person. It was out of this world.
Kelly
Bethany p5/6
This was a exelent show i liked the picters in the back ground the peple was very good it was very good how they could make difrent vouises and well done to the man wat was making the sound afex and i wolde come and see it agane
By
Kai
P5/6
I really enjoyed It I would love to go and see It again.My favourite person was the man that was making the sound effects he was really good :p.But there was no parts I didn’t like because I loved all of it.And I hope other people will go and see it and enjoy it as much as i did.And I wish all of the cast the very best in the future.:)
Josh
P5/6
“This show was stunning”.”My favourite person was the person in the middle making sound affects or the person to the left of the girl. But all the cast defintley made my day.”I thought the show would be weird when Mr Douglas told us about it but it was not actually weird in the end.
I can just imagine how much you all practiced.I would rating it 5 stars and defintley come back.Good luck in the future
Ewan p5
It was a great show and there was alot of skill involved.I could never learn all of the words that the actors did and the special effect man was really cool.It was wierd how the piano player played.
Hamish p5/6
It was amazing and everybody in p5/6 stood up and apluded it was fantastic
This was the best show I really liked there accent. The sound effects man was my fave he was amazing he could do everything. It was cool there vioces acted out the parts my fave acter was the one who was acting out ben. I would love to go and see another one of The Intergalactic Nemesis. The book one was ausome but I bet that book two will be ausome to. I really liked cats but The Intergalactic Nemesis was so much bettter. The piano man was really good at the end his hands were all over the place I just couldn’t keep up with his hands. If I had to rate stars out of ten, I would pick ten and come back. I could just imagine how much you practiced. The man’s face who was acting ben he was so scary, He has a very loud voice it was scary. Goodluck for the future all of you. I hope we could come back and see you again. Many thanks!
Mckensi P5
Intergalactic nemesis was great. I loved the sound afetts
there voises where amazing I want to speak like that.I can’t bleve that he could do something like that. My favert carater is Molly but the hole cast was great. Molly and Timmy was great together i want to see it a millon more. The hole cast was great I loved the show.
By Nicole
The show was the best show I have seen in my life. I have never seen a show with as many sound affects and voices. That was made out of a comic strip.
by Robert
I was away to black pool but my friends and class mate’s told me all about it and it sond so cool.
The Trip was amazing the way they made diffrent voices.The man with the gadgect things was amazing how he made some of the noises I dont know.The paino player was realy cool his hands looked like jelly at the end but he was scary but I think that was his image.
When I first went in and took my seat and I didnt know what to expect. There was a big table in the middle with all these diffrent things on it like a toy truck,some maccaroni and all different strange things.When it began I was amazed at how all those things on the table made diffrent sounds and how the comic strip pictures flashed on the screen.It was so entertaning and that was all I talked about to my Mum and Dad.I think it was great how they had everything happen on the stage and it wasnt backstage.The cast was so friendly to us after the show as well. I will definatly be begging my Mum to take me again. Thanks for such a great day! Erin
intergalactic Nemesis was amazing.It was one of the best shows i have seen in my life.I loved the sound affects, they were out of this world.It was really cool how it was a radio show and the sound affects were not done with computers,and were done with all diffrent sorts of things.It was amazing how the cast could change there voices about 60 times in the show.Sometimes it was funny and other times it was sad.
Abbi P6
The Intergalactic Nemesis was soooooooooo cool.All of the
characters where amazing and I really want to see them again.
The Intergalactic nemesis was an amazing and spectacular show,it was amazing the way they made all the sounds,and the piano player was so so good,i dont now how he can play like that.The voices of Molie,Timmy and Ben were amazing i dont now how they were able to remember all of the lines. If my mum lets me i would greatfully go to The Intergalactic Nemesis again.
I liked intergalactic nemesis my faviorite bit was when ben from the future said ” SALT THAT STUF’S REAL” cause the big pause was this guy is a crazy lunitic.
I really enjoyed your show it was fantastic so good I wanted to scream.The sound was great i would go again if i could you were great it was the best show ever
I wish i could see you again with my family
I really enjoyed the show it was amazing and wicked I hope I could see your other shows with my family and show them what it was like.I loved how the sound effects worked and how you done everything even your accents they are cool and how you changed your voices.
From
Sam