The first US Barden Party tour signs off!
So with your help we really did it!
Over the past July we travelled with 10 actors and two loyal children across the entire United States, bringing this pocket of joy that started in lockdown in NZ to amazing audiences in six states!
It was an incredible feat to pull off with some cast members coming down to the wire waiting for their visas to arrive. One member only got their passport on the day we flew out!
But from there it was almost clear sailing - to Honolulu, Hawaii - first performing three shows at Hawaii Plantation Village and for our Barden champion Avi and her family and friends. We then set off for Illinois doing two wonderful shows before the perhaps inevitable occurred and several cast members were struck down with Covid.
However the resilience, adaptability and innovation of the cast meant we were still able to perform several shows with a lessened cast. Alas we still had to cancel three shows. Perhaps a highlight was Rantoul, Illinois where the town shut down the entire main street for the show - which we felt might have been an overkill until several hundred people showed up for the performance! Including Laura's first ever drama teacher.
When we got back to full strength we jumped in our trusty 12-seater van and headed off on a 16-hour journey cross country to Massachusetts, arriving in Richmond MA at 4am! The next day we performed one of our favourite shows for another of our Barden champions, Liz Butler, who wanted us for a family party to welcome her home and to honour her art-loving grandma who recently passed away.
From there we headed to the nearby Ventfort Hall to perform at the historic gilded age mansion in a setting that felt fitting for a Barden Party! Was a real treat.
Then it was time for NYC - where the cast soaked up theatre capital of the world before performing at Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn. What we love about public shows is how people drift in out of curiosity and then just stay - experiencing something spontaneous and wonderful.
We fared thee well to NYC and headed across country to LA where we settled in for the final hurrah and a show in North Hollywood Park for a wonderful audience of supporters who made us feel like embarking on this crazy adventure was all worth while.
All in all we performed 10 shows with this incredibly talented cast. It was an absolute joy and blessing to experience this project with such a wonderful group of people and see them develop as people and performers.
Watching how we all looked after each other in some often intense moments was a special part of the DNA of The Barden Party that we will carry forward. The NZ cast is all back home but Laura and Jake are currently still in LA finalising the script to the next NZ summer show - Much Ado About Nothing and also looking into setting up an LA cast to perform A Midsummer Night's Dream.
This project was always about spreading joy, taking risks, forging connections and on that count we succeeded thanks to you all. The Barden Party is in great sprits and we can't wait to do you all proud with our next endeavour. Watch this space!
