Installment Due

Chronicles of a City Chap: Speak When Spoken To

I just finished my first full we at CLIMB Theatre and I must say we are WORKING. We play alot but we work hard. This company is committed to bringing the best out of us and I must say that it is causing me to strive to be on my "A" game 110% of the time. I have been experience the pleasant side of what is known at "Minnesota Nice". EVERYONE speaks to you. "Hello". "Good Morning". "How are you?". And your standard non verbal recognitions. It is nice to live in a place where people appreciate your existence. As my New York readers know; New Yorkers don't have time (and usually won't make time) to acknowledge your presence. That act of selfishness is why most people think New Yorkers are rude. They aren't rude (on a whole) just preoccupied. The Minnesotans I have encountered are completely the opposite.

The other day I was walking to the grocery store and the cutest old couple were walking and talking. I could see them walking toward me and I was having a great time observing their interaction. How surprised was I when they stopped to give me a simple "hello." It was startling at first but I found myself smiling even more. Those are the experiences I have been having outside of CLIMB.

Back at the ranch I have been experiencing that sort of love and even more. I also realized that many of you are not quite sure what I am doing here. Now that I have a bit more training I will attempt to briefly give you some insight on the company I work for. Here goes....

CLIMB [Creative Learning Ideas for the Mind and Body] Is a not-for-profit children's theatre company who's mission statement is to inspire youth in K-12 to give back to themselves and their community by teaching them, through dramatic and educational programming, skills on how to be better individuals. A quick roster of the programs we offer reads like: bullying, gender, race & orientation discrimination, responsibility, social awareness and substance abuse. We have a Teaching Company and a Performance Company. Teaching company's focus is on teaching students through classroom discussions and role playing issues, for example, like bullying. Performance company focuses on showing youth how their perceptions of issues that they are uneducated on can cause conflict. The example I will use is my play: Shattered.

Shattered tells the story of a young girl named Kalya who is your average high school teen. She has a best friend, comes from a decent home, has a great boyfriend and is focused on going to college and making something of her life. On her adolescent journey she encounters an awful drug called Meth. The drugs DESTROYS her strength, her morals and her rhyme and reason. The play takes you from her pre-Meth life to her being so caught up in it that you don't know if she dies at the end.

My sub-company of CLIMB is called SilverCo [Silver Company]. We are a team of four and we have been brought together from all over the country to bring these characters and this most important issue to life. Our company is also a special company because we will Perform & Teach while on the road. Everyone else (except 1 other sub-company) Teaches or Performs---we get to do both. As you can guess it is a MUST for our show. It would be irresponsible for us to perform and portray a story like this and not follow them up with, what we call, "break out sessions". Each of us, alone, will lead post-play classes to the students who attended the play and will focus on bringing their experience full circle. I start my Teaching training next week so I am not sure about the material that we will cover.

I won't bore or gross you guys out, yet, about what I have been learning about this drug but it is mind blowing. And if you know me, which you all do, I am not one to make light or exaggerate topics like these. Most of you all know where I stand on drugs (il/legal) and what lines I will allowed to be crossed -- but this one! This one leaves me relentless on my stance against it. IT IS HORRIFIC!

Now you might ask why I came out to MN to do this show. Just google Meth & Minnesota or go to these two websites: http://www.notevenonce.com/ and http://www.justthinktwice.com/. There any many more but these two are insightful. Also you can visit CLIMB's website for some information on everything we do. www.climb.org

So yeah I have come here to educate. Not only these young kids but also myself. I have been having a blast working with everyone. Everyone at CLIMB is so friendly and open. I think we support each other because we are all dealing with the same obstacles and also celebrating the same rewards.

One reward I get is shopping for free. My company went to The Mall of America to buy our costumes. We are portraying teenagers so we need to have pretty trendy clothes. So we went into America's Mall and boy is it huge. Most of the first floor is an amusement park with rides and vendors and I think even shows. It had 2 Starbucks and I felt at home. Ironically, we went to get coffee at Caribou which is--as one of my Co. members say "The truth around here." Caribou to MN is what Starbucks is to NYC. EVERYONE drinks it and EVERYONE loves it. So I got my favorite thing from Starbucks, Grande Soy Chai Latte, at Caribou and it was surprisingly delicious. The next time I go there I will find out what my Caribou signature drink needs to be.

Also during this past week I got Certified to drive a Commercial Vehicle--15 passenger van to be precise. The main driver for our company and myself (2nd driver) went and got physicals and had to take some tests to be able to drive these vans and also a Commercial Truck (think U-haul trucks; the fleet of trucks after the vans). Might sound crazy because we rent those type of trucks to move our belongings but when you add cargo and responsibility for humans while working for a not-for-profit children's theatre co. they make more rules. So now I am certified and that is good for a couple of years.

I finally have 24/7 internet at my house and my roommate moved in on Friday. So things are starting to take shape here in IGH. My mom asked me if I was going crazy not "doing anything" and I responded, "no". I am loving this time, as I mentioned before. I also told one cast member that I am so happy to be spending my days doing this type of work. I don't mind getting up at 630A on a Saturday morning to go into rehearsal for 8 hours. THIS is what I was built to do. I love that I can call this work. I am truly blessed. Now everything is not gumdrops and roses. I did found out that the bus I have gotten accustomed to taking during the week does not stop on my street on Saturdays and Sundays. It just doesn't. Monday thru Friday the bus is a beautiful thing. Saturday and Sunday it mandatory make Demetrius' life interesting day. Yesterday was my first Saturday working and I will be there next Saturday as well. I also know that a few of our travel days are on Sunday. The weather on Saturday was an anomaly. The weather was gorgeous and I walked to and from work. I live about 2.5 miles from work and the neighborhoods are great and I also passed a few runners and fitness buffs as I hoof it. The Midwest weather is on shuffle so who knows what tomorrow or next week will bring.

I actually got a chance to go out with some folks from a different company last night and we had a great time. It was nice being around some younger folks. We all connected on some level and that was cool. I don't know how much I will be going out in the Twin Cities because they have not passed the law to ban smoking in public social places. So yeah....I prefer to come home smelling like I left.

P*S* I am up to my 6th go-green bag!

P*S*S* I have to shave off my moustache and goatee! Next time you see me I'll look like a teenager.

Passionately yours ~

Keone The Kid