endless_musings

Up at 4am, the scheduled Uber came to get me at 4:30am. At the airport, checked the trombone and through security by a little before 5pm. The flight was at 6:30 and thankfully I had worried for nothing, because it wasn’t even raining, there was no turbulence, and nothing was delayed.

Layover in Atlanta was enough time to eat a yogurt, granola, and coffee.

Landed in Orlando right on time. Frequent visitors to the theme parks will recognize this hideous carpet.


My trombone Arrived Alive. Thank goodness. God BLESS this hardshell case and that foam cone in the bell.


I picked up my rental car. It was a good thing I’d reserved; many of the other counters were out of cars or were renting at inflated rates for the Thanksgiving holiday. Drove first to Publix for a cheap sushi for dinner, then home to see my Jameson!! He was working but we got to catch up a little, he played a few of the arrangements he’s been working on and showed me the new outdoor lights he’s installed on the house. They’re really impressive, basically permanent LEDs wrapping the roof edges that you can change to any pattern or color you like!

I had only a few hours and spent them sorting my mail, swapping some stuff out of my bag, cleaning up a bit, and renewing my drivers license which expires next year, surprise!

the 12-hour mark.


Eventually I ate dinner, got dressed, waved goodbye to Jameson (he was in a meeting) and off to Health Services for my annual hearing test and training modules. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work we go!


I've written about this part of the process before: after checking in you are taken to have an annual hearing test where they stuff you in a tiny soundproof booth, put some special headphones on you, and play a series of tones in decreasing volume in each ear to test your hearing. They never tell you which ear they'll start with and you don't know what pitches they'll play next either. I always get a little stressed during the test, wondering if I'm imagining phantom tones, or worrying that the beating of my heart, suddenly loud in that muffled space, will drown out what I'm supposed to be hearing. But she said I did about the same as last time with a few small variances that aren't worth noting, so I guess it's all good.

Next you are taken to a room with a computer to complete some safety, privacy, and PPE policy modules. Basically you are reaffirming that you understand company policies on a variety of topics, and misc "safety in the workplace" items as well. My modules were fewer than usual, only about two hours' worth (typically it's around 3) and I was finished with everything around 8:30pm which is a new record.

Since I had time, I paused in the parking lot to admire Spaceship Earth cycling through a bunch of random patterns. I never fail to be grateful, and feel a sense of wonder, looking at parts of Walt Disney World after hours.


For this rehearsal, larger instruments such as keyboard, tuba, bass, etc were give drive-on clearance, meaning we were allowed to drive a vehicle into EPCOT's backstage and park very close. Other smaller instruments and the choir members had to park in the employee lot and take an employee bus in. Being able to drive onto property is another reason that I'm able to do Candlelight rehearsal each year; the bus would add another 10-15 minutes which I cannot spare when rushing to the airport afterward.

Anyway, I drove through the gatehouse and got a great parking spot (perks of being early!), found the trap room (essentially a trailer that serves as a green room for EPCOT performers) and settled in to chill out until rehearsal at 10:45. There were some nice snacks laid out so I enjoyed some of those, made sure I looked presentable, and chatted with friends as they filtered in. Sam (our local AFM union president) stopped over to say hi and ask how tour was going. I saw Clay, who is a music producer for Disney and a good friend of Jameson's. We hugged and got caught up a bit (he was leaving after conducting an earlier rehearsal.) He's usually out on the cruise ships so it was a rare treat to run into him! Other friends included my friends Sara and Kristen, both trumpets who sub with the Main Street Phil; Jeff Thomas, who's the principal trombone of the Orlando Phil; and Justin (also trumpet) who plays at Epic Universe with me. Everyone of course wanted to know how tour is going and when the show's coming to Florida (I wish I knew!)

As our call time approached we got word that there were enamel pins available (see last year's pin HERE, it still lives on my backpack.) I went to management to get one and got to finally meet Renee, who is our coordinator/director for Candlelight each year yet somehow I've never met her in person! She seems like a lovely human, and confessed to being a foodie and following my tasty adventures!

But anyway, I walked away with this beautiful pin to commemorate participation in this once-a-year holiday event.
The design is giving "retro" and "astronomy," I think!


Finally it was time to line up and walk over to America Gardens Theater. On the way over I made sure to give a little wave to "my" vintage mailbox :) There are two of these, one at EPCOT and one at Magic Kingdom, and they were made only a few minutes from my hometown in Pennsylvania.


It was a good run through. Of course I can't take any media during rehearsal so I always reshare this image so you can at least see what it looks like on stage. The choir is always so beautiful with their colorful robes and the festive lighting :)


Afterward there was a brief break where some of us hit the restroom or had a snack, and others went home because they'll be able to come back for future rehearsals and won't need to attend both tonight. Other musicians arrived to fill their spots and I got to chat it up with some more local buddies, then back to the stage for the second run-through with a different conductor than we had on the first run. Everyone attends multiple rehearsals because it gives us all a chance to experience different conductors and colleagues around us; during Candlelight there's a rotation of personnel and the subs could end up performing with just about anyone. The second run was better than the first for me; it always takes me some time to settle back into playing in an orchestral trombone section after years of going it alone on tour. Jeff and the other trombonists always seem pleased with my work, that's all I care about.

Right at 2:30am we wrapped it up. I didn't run, but did a quick walk back to the trap room to quickly change shirts, pack up, clock out, and peel out to get to the airport. ETA 3am.


I dropped the rental car, got my trombone checked in, through security and arrived at my gate more than an hour ahead of boarding!! That's a new record!! First of all this time I paid extra to not have to fill the rental car gas tank, saving me 10-15 minutes, and secondly I prepaid for the trombone and all I had to do was drop it. It all worked out extremely well.

Obligatory bathroom photo. Full disclosure that I did use a mild filter to reduce shadows and increase warmth so I'd look less like a zombie lol.


At this point it was about 4:30am and I'd been up for 24 hours. Boarding was on time. I can't sleep on planes but was able to doze at least. We landed on time too, but for some reason there was a traffic jam of planes preventing us from reaching our gate so we had to sit on the tarmac for 30 minutes!!! Not only that, we were at the farthest possible gate from where I needed to go, a good 10 minute walk even with taking the terminal train. I was stressed and annoyed, but made it just as they were announcing my boarding group.

Then we sat for ANOTHER 30 minutes while they "manually filled the lavs," whatever that means and I probably don't want to know!! But to be honest I was glad for the delay because it gave time for them to put my trombone on the plane!! Thank goodness Jameson got me that Air Tag. I could see that it was with me :)


Finally we took off, landing about an hour behind schedule. Though I was close to tears from being worn out and just wanting to get home, I was SO grateful to be safely back in San Antonio and not having to worry about making it to the evening show!! Our MD had been texting throughout the day to make sure I was on schedule, too. I felt bad to make him worry but also grateful that he cares enough to worry, if that makes sense. Rescued my trombone from baggage claim and we waited patiently for an Uber.


I was back at the hotel by about 10:40am. Plenty, PLENTY of time. This was probably the best 48-hour Candlelight experience I've had, as far as everything being on time and arriving back to the tour with time to recover. Best of all, Past Me had had the foresight to remove the "Do Not Disturb" hanger on the door, so Sleep-Deprived Future Me got to walk in to a clean room and a freshly made bed. There's no lovelier sight when you're ready for a nap.


I showered and unpacked, ate lunch, and slept for about 3 hours. Woke up feeling still tired but MUCH better. Typed up this whole post, got ready for the show, ate dinner, walked to the theater a bit early to ensure I could set everything up and get comfortable. Everyone very kindly asked how the trip had been or expressed that they were glad I was back. 

The show itself went well and normally. I found it hard to keep my mind from wandering off and had to focus extra hard, and energy was definitely flagging, but I made it through! 

And with that, the annual 48-hour Candlelight Rehearsal Extravaganza was OVER!
(It was more like 42 hours but you get the idea.)


This is the third year in a row that I've successfully participated in this rehearsal while actively on tour.
At this point three different touring companies (Crossroads, NETworks, and Disney) have allowed me to do it.
I am grateful for the trust that they've put in me, and for the ability to afford/make this journey for three years in a row.

Often people don't understand why I go through all this trouble once a year, just for a rehearsal. This might be one of those exulansis things where I should just give up explaining it because people won't get it, but here goes:

1 - Candlelight was how I became a Disney cast member, and continuing to participate in it for as long as I can is very important to me. Even if I don't always get to perform in the actual shows, attending the rehearsal and reaffirming that I work at Walt Disney World, and all that entails, is a privilege and a joy. 

2 - Because Candlelight is how I became a Disney cast member, I am required to attend at least one Candlelight rehearsal each year, otherwise I will lose my ability to perform at Walt Disney World. That means no subbing with the Main Street Philharmonic, no filling in at Candlelight, not being able to work at the park at all during tour layoffs. That would be a LOT of opportunity lost, and that's why I feel one crazy travel day is well worth it. 

3 - I'd potentially lose some benefits (might not be totally correct but I am pretty sure there are differences between theme park and non-theme park cast member benefits.)

Hopefully that makes sense. 

Anyway, what a trip. And as I was walking exhaustedly back to the hotel, an email landed in my inbox....
We've been given our 2027 Beauty and the Beast tour dates!!!

I absolutely CANNOT share them until they're public on the website...but I'm sure they will be soon. Look forward to it! 

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Wednesday: 2pm matinee, then we have our company Thanksgiving dinner at a steakhouse. Very much looking forward to it!

Thursday: One evening show. Nothing planned because it's Thanksgiving and I assume most things will be closed. I'll use the time to recover from travel, do laundry, and think of all the things I'm thankful for :)

**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.

This post covers the weekend.

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FRIDAY

I was up early to do laundry so I won't have to worry about it over the weekend. I'd also picked up my dry-cleaned $8 jacket and fitted shirt from the front desk; the jacket will go to my trunk for now, and I'll check out the shirt with the tux jacket to see if it's a good combo for Candlelight.

While folding laundry my Aunt called and we got caught up. She's coming to visit in Austin hopefully and we're both looking forward to it! Then breakfast and kind of just biding time until our lovely Wicked screening at noon! The theater was within easy walking distance, and I joined a herd of cast members walking over.

It was REALLY nice...basically the company had reserved a theater just for us!
The only thing to do was pick up snacks and grab a seat!


The movie without previews was almost exactly 2 hours long. I'm not an actual Wicked "fan" but like a good movie, and this one has such great costumes and music (to me the plot has always been kinda whatever, sorry haha.) I will say that the new songs they've added kinda fell flat to me, but maybe I'm biased. Regardless, as a whole it was entertaining, I was engaged the whole time and every scene was just so beautiful. A real piece of art. I'm grateful that our company management arranged for this opportunity for us to enjoy the movie.

Afterward I Ubered straight to the tailor to pick up the tux jacket. It was much improved! Will I actually get to wear it this year? Who knows! But at least now I have something nicer than what I usually throw on (some ratty black sweater.) From there back to the hotel, where I really wanted a nap but typed this up instead, then made some calls to various branches of Disney HR or Admissions to try and figure out why my park reservation was cancelled. I can still get into the parks, but it said something had changed about my tickets or pass and I wanted to check whether it had to do with my weird dual profile thing. Turns out it was just some weird glitch? They couldn't figure out why it happened so they reinstated my reservation. Cool!

Soon enough it was time for the show. We had an understudy for Mrs. Potts and she did a great job, she has a lovely singing voice that I really enjoyed.

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SATURDAY

I "slept in" until 8, and woke up to Jameson's critique of Wicked (he'd gone to a late showing after I fell asleep.) He also said that the soundtrack felt "flat" and lacking in the bass, without having heard what I thought, so I guess it's not just me.

In my inbox was the Candlelight Newsletter, which is sent out right before rehearsals each year and tells you of any changes to their typical procedures. There really weren't any, they aren't even changing the music at all, so that's good. I'm a bit worried about the flights because of storms moving across the US and proximity to Thanksgiving, but keep reminding myself that I've built a good flight delay buffer. As long as I can get to Texas AT ALL on Tuesday I can find a way back to San Antonio from wherever-I-am before the evening show.

The first show was good, normal. In this theater the audience cannot see into the pit, and because of this DAR (our MD) has invited any actor who is available between their stage time to come have a listen while we perform! I LOVE that!! So far Gaston has come to visit once or twice, and I saw someone else sneak in and out though I couldn't see their face. Today Cogsworth sat down and had a listen :) They've all said that they love being surrounded by the music. I wish everyone could come sit with us.

Between shows I hit a convenience store for some oatmeal and ginger candies for travel, then dinner at the hotel.
Since Jameson and I won't get Thanksgiving together this year, he did a Friendsgiving tonight :) He posted a few pictures to his stories (so I have nothing to share with you, sorry) and it looks like it was a lovely time.

The evening show was good. This time I looked over during "If I Can't Love Her" and saw Gaston, LeFou, and Cogsworth all crammed into the pit stairwell to watch us. It was adorable! I wish we could do this in EVERY pit!!

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SUNDAY

I was up early after having slept poorly. Nervous about my upcoming 48-hour Candlelight rehearsal extravaganza!

I'm not nervous about the playing, but the TRAVEL. It's close to Thanksgiving, and there's a storm front moving across much of the US this week. Thankfully it's warm in the south right now so all I'd be facing is rain, but I still don't know how bad it'll be.

That said, I have built in the most GIGANTIC time buffer that I possibly could. If either of my flights is delayed I will have between 9 and 11 hours to still get myself back to San Antonio in time for the evening show.

I checked in for my flight, reserved an Uber for tomorrow morning, had breakfast, and emailed the MD and our music coordinator to remind them that I'm traveling tomorrow. The MD is just as skittish about this whole thing as me, but still graciously gave his blessing for the trip.

Throughout the day I gradually put stuff in my backpack for travel. I must say, it's such a luxury to do this trip with ONLY an overnight bag for once. The last two times I did this, I had to bring ALL of my tour stuff because the tour was moving to a different city on the same day as the rehearsal. This time the show stays in San Antonio, so I can leave everything in my hotel room. So much easier, and such a relief!

Here's my crazy itinerary:

Monday:

• 4:30am: Uber to airport for 6:30am flight
• 1:15pm: Arrival in Orlando assuming nothing gets delayed
• Pick up rental car and drive home where I'll hopefully have time to hug Jameson, eat, get dressed for rehearsal, etc.
• 6:30pm: Report to Health Services on Disney property for the annual hearing tests and training modules before rehearsal
• 10:45pm until 12:30am: Candlelight Rehearsal Part 1

(now we're into Tuesday)

• 12:45am until 2:30am: Candlelight Rehearsal Part 2
• 3:00am: Drive to airport, return rental car
• 5:15am: Flight to San Antonio with layover in DFW
• 9:30am: Arrive in San Antonio with time to sleep, eat, recuperate before the evening show
• 7:30pm: BATB evening show

When I've done this in the past, I've usually arrived with only a few hours to rest/recover before the evening show. This time if everything stays on schedule I should have significantly more time. But a lot can go wrong and I will just be grateful to arrive in time for the show, regardless.

Anyway, first show was just fine and we had a good audience. It was cold and rainy, a preview of the big wet cold front moving through tomorrow. Between shows the usual dinner at the hotel plus anime, then a nice evening show with a good crowd. Lots of people in San Antonio are interested to come down to the pit and talk with us, ask us questions, and it's wonderful!

After the show I packed up both trombones (I would have done this regardless since it's a Golden Day) but put a foam cone in the tenor bell, threw an Air Tag in there, and "locked" the middle latch with a keyring. I took it back to the hotel with me where I finished packing and typed up this post and hoped to heck that I've remembered everything. Not sure how tomorrow will go (today, by the time you read this) but please wish me luck. 

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Monday & Tuesday: Travel to Florida, Candlelight rehearsal, and back to San Antonio in 48 hours, as detailed above. Cross yer fingers for on-time flights for me.

**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.

This post covers the weekend.

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FRIDAY

Typical morning, except I also made a point to wish this handsome man a happy birthday!!


He's 44, and he doesn't like that lol. He's never liked his birthday.
I mean, who REALLY likes to be reminded that they are aging?
But his friends and family (and me) want to make him feel special anyway!

Since I can't be there in person I bought his presents in advance, and also wrapped them to make it more special. I got him the fancy blue cheese mentioned in a previous post, a distortion pedal from Sweetwater that he'd mentioned wanting earlier in the year, and a Baja Blast-themed birthday card packed full of Taco Bell stickers (mostly their logo throughout the years. And yes he is a big Taco Bell fan.) If I'd been home I also would have baked him a treat and taken him to dinner. But that will fall on his friends this time.

As for me, I had breakfast and when I felt ready, got dressed and hoofed over to the Tennessee State Capitol!
Which should be called the Tennessee Stairs Capitol!


( CLICK HERE for the State Capitol and Bicentennial Park )

Back to the hotel to cool off and have lunch. The rest of the day was chill just planning for future cities, a small nap, dinner, and walking to the theater for the evening show.

At intermission we were told that we would not be playing the exit music because of something special happening on stage. It turned out to be a surprise visit from Susan Egan, the original Broadway Belle from the original cast of Beauty and the Beast!! Since we didn't have to play, we all stood up in the pit so we could watch and listen as she performed a duet with Kyra (our Belle.) Incredible!!

CLICK HERE to see Susan Egan on stage with us!

Afterward there was a nice little dessert reception in a rehearsal room downstairs. Many cast members were able to get photos with Susan and chat with her. I felt super-shy about imposing on her time...literally this woman was just on the set of Hercules in the UK, was present for and named Godmother for the christening of the new Disney Destiny cruise ship, and just performed at the Legacy Awards!

But it is a once-in-a-lifetime thing to talk to an actual Broadway celebrity. Plus, Jameson had worked directly with her during the Legacy Awards, and had mentioned me! So I queued up, and when it was my turn I did not ask for a photo. We just talked a bit. I told her that I was Jameson's girlfriend, and she remembered him right away and spoke so highly of him :) She asked how tour has been going, and laughed at how I was wearing two jackets from previous tours (I don't have a real coat here yet so I was layered up in my black Tootsie and Elf jackets.) I told her how amazing she was both tonight and at the awards performance (as if she didn't know), thanked her for her time, and wished her safe travels. She grasped my hand and smiled big and wished me the same. And that was pretty much it.

She made time for everyone who wanted to talk with her or take a picture, which I thought was incredibly gracious. If I were a celebrity, I don't think I'd have the social stamina for so much interaction! It's an admirable skill.

She also made an IG post later, and had such kind and uplifting words about our show.


Walked back to the hotel and chatted with Jameson about meeting Susan and about his day. His friends had taken him out for dinner and drinks, then to do some escape rooms (they escaped both times, woot!)

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SATURDAY

Up earlier than I wanted to be to do a half-load of laundry, update our @littletownorch Instagram, and book some housing for an upcoming city where the company hotel is far from the theater (I've promised myself the luxury of avoiding carpools for this tour :p )

The matinee was good, good crowd, everything went fine.
Between shows, dinner at the hotel.

On the way back there were large crowds moving toward a nearby amphitheater:


Medieval cage fighting!! Wow, listen, if I didn't have to play a show, I might have needed to check that out!
Our MD came up behind me at the next stoplight and showed me that he'd stopped to take a photo too, lol. I don't know about him but I'd never seen such a thing!

The evening show was good and normal.

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SUNDAY

Allowed myself to sleep until 8, then breakfast and gradual packing.
Watched a clip of medieval cage fighting to satisfy my curiosity...violent and fun!...and worked on Dallas Foodie Finds.

The afternoon show was good, though it was one of our Chip kid's last show. I do not know why they're leaving, but all of the kids are quite young and tour life is hard even on adults, much less kids. It's very possible that they needed a break from the constant travel, and to settle back down with friends and school again. Emotions were running high; the audience may not have noticed but I could hear the slight tremors in the actors' voices a few times when they interacted with little Chip. I hope this kid has had a lovely time on tour and made some great friends and memories here :) 

Between shows the usual thing of dinner and gradual packing and watching anime or YouTube. 

Our final Nashville show was just fine. We had understudies for both the Beast and Belle, and they did wonderfully. Somehow I managed to load out faster than usual, maybe because there is enough room to move around in the pit here! It's been a really nice stay, I feel like I finally got to SEE Nashville and what the city is really like. Next stop, San Antonio! 

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Monday: Travel to San Antonio.

Tuesday: A surprise Golden Day! I'll need to spend at least part of it sourcing a tailor for my cheap tux jacket, but maybe I can have a nice dinner or something in the bargain.