This month has, rather surprising, turned into a whirlwind adventure. I’m writing this on a plane about to take off from Reykjavík to bring me to Munich for a week of exploring before I head North to film Das SUPERTALENT. That is, the German version of America’s Got Talent. Yes, Box of Clowns’ now famous ‘Butt Puppets’ will be gracing the living rooms of Europe.

I still marvel that the one of our silliest cabaret acts is what is taking us to the ‘big time.’ We first discovered the silliness during an Alice in Wonderland rehearsal break- Anna made the Cheshire Cat mouth talk out of her behind, and I quickly taped on foam for eyes and a balloon nose. The butt’s prescient first words were “I think this is the best idea we’ve had all day!” This was, luckily, caught on video, you can watch it here.

Traveling gigs are never for sure until the travel has been booked, so I’ve only had 3 weeks to really plan this trip (normally I’d spend about 6 months because #perfectionist). However, I think I’ve managed to map out a tour that will fill up my imagination with many wonderful things that will fuel my creative self for many months.

My travels in Deutschland will start in Munich, where my plans are to wander about, hit up a couple museums, and drink beer. Then I’ll catch a train to Salzburg, Austria where I’m going to see a show the UNESCO world heritage site Marionette Theatre (!), visit Mozart’s birthplace, take in a concert at the world renowned Salzburg Classical Music Festival, and of course take a Sound of Music bike tour- I was half a Musical Theatre major, after all! On that note, The Sound of Music was my first professional show when I was 18. I spent a whole summer as a nun at the Prescott Park Arts Festival, so I imagine Salzburg is going to feel really familiar, lol...

Back to my travels: After Salzburg, I’m renting a car and driving past the scenic Alps to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, aka the inspiration for the Disney castle, built by Mad King Ludwig, whom we can thank for all of Wagner’s operas (all artists need patrons!). Then westward to the Black Forest of Grimm’s fairytales, where I will visit the world’s biggest cuckoo clock, and North to Baden-Baden- a spa town (Baden literally means bath) that was once frequented by famous Russian writers. Next I have to get up to Bremen (very North), so we can rehearse together the day before filming (Anna is coming from China). Then it’s film and fly back to the US.

And that’s just the first week and a half of the month. Other arty happenings include planning my fall curriculum for PHAME Academy, looking for a place to remount Millennial Turns 30, and hopefully diving back into a second draft of my book.

It’s cool when this artist’s life means I get flown to another continent. Gives me something to look back on/forward to during all the really difficult times of uncertainty, angst, competition, and little pay. I feel very lucky that this opportunity fell in my lap. But also, it happened because of all the other hard work me and The Box have put in over the last six years.