Across the Great Divide

California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska. Producers and the cast of this wild show on the road anywhere in America. Books, music, and keeping up with line cuts fills the Chevy Tahoe we've lovingly named Chester Lamar, our set on the wide car roof. The fundraiser performance sold out and the auction cocktail party was extremely successful. Our only task that remains is getting our clothes, props, costumes and set pieces to the Minnesota Fringe Festival in time for our performance.

We sing loud to music, we finish books and exchange them, we try to stay awake while on our driving shift. We are thrilled. Day 1 of driving across the country, Shelby Company's cast and crew stopped in Winnemucca, Nevada, the setting and title of the play we're taking across this vast and promising land. As the play suggests, the actual town was strange and interesting and sad. We were served lunch by a waitress named Dedra, she had an accent and a Nevada charm that was unique, and everything we ever dreamed of from a Winnemucca waitress. She called our dashing producer, Brian, "honey" as she took his order of a Garden Burger with Brew Fries. It was magical, it was whatever.

After twelve hours of driving and 800 miles East, we were greeted by castmemeber Grayson's parents in Park City, Utah. The level of their hospitality was lovely, and shocking. A home cooked meal of beef chili, garlic cheese bread and cranberry walnut salad followed by a liquer tasting over intellectual conversation. It might have been just what we needed. The evening wore on, and at about midnight we foolishly ignored our mad hungers for sleep, put a few beers in our hands and slipped into the outdoor Jaccuzi underneath the Utah stars. All and all, it was a somewhat perfect ending to the exciting yet challenging first day of our trek across the country.

We write you now from the New Victorian Inn in York, Nebraska. We sip a little wine and Brian and Nate discuss details of tomorrow. We arrive in Minneapolis and begin searching for the set pieces we couldn't bring and start the work of making sure our houses are full. If you're a Minneapolis resident and you're reading this, do come. The play is funny and sad and strange. You'll like it.

From somewhere in Nebraska,
with love and respect,
the cast and producers of Winnemucca (Three Days In The Belly)