Quest Tour of the Czech Republic 
Journal Updates

Thursday, November 13, 2003
Today was our first performance here in Brno. So the day was all about rehearsal!

After breakfast, we gathered in the area outside the elevators and began to rehearse Wings. The space was a little crowded so we were able to get in a meeting room in the hotel which was much more suitable for our needs. We rehearsed until lunch.

After a quick lunch, we made our way back to the theatre to start our technical rehearsal time. The cast set up and prepared in the dressing room while Willette, Myra, and Tim worked on setting up lights with the local tech crew. We then started a rough lighting rehearsal so I could write lighting cues and program them into the board. The lighting control system was partly American and partly in Czech so things were a bit of a challenge. We managed to get it all done in time to do a full rehearsal in costume and lights. We finished at 6:00, and the show started at 7:00pm.

The performance was great! We had an audience of about 175 people, and we received wonderful feedback after the show.

We made our way back to the hotel, changed and got ready to go out for a night of partying on the town. Many of us had not eaten dinner so we were in search of food and drink. After several failed attempts to order food at local restaurants (everyone stops serving food VERY early in Brno), several of us found solace and sustenance in an old American standard...McDonalds. The double-cheeseburger and french fries were great.

Impressions by Miriam Ganz
Thursday morning we awoke early to rehearse Wings again.  We collected in the hotel 6th floor lobby and ran through the show again, solidifying our previous work.  In the afternoon we began our technical rehearsal to add lights, and costumes.  The artistic team worked diligently to make our show all come together smoothly and beautifully, ... it did.  We performed second on the program that evening.  THe first group to perform was from Slovenia.  They created an interesting piece that was very thought provoking. 

Our performance of Wings went smoothly.  The ensemble truly connected for the first time.  The audience seemed to really appreciate the show.  They "clapped" loudly and demanded an encore bow.   We were relieved when it was all finished and pleasantly surprised how it all came together.  We all left the theatre, joined approximately 20 other festival participants, and roamed the streets of Brno in search of a place to celebrate our performance and hard work.  Hours later, we went to bed pleased with the experience and our performance that night.

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