Summer in Cape May: July 2013

Well, week two is wrapping up and I must say time is flying down here in Cape May. I’ve found my go-to coffee shop, a place with vegan ice cream, the local organic market, and great sunset watching spots. I also tried out the local yoga studio and done a bit of exploring on bike. Even though I’m down here to do a show, being that it’s Cape May, I’m also allowing myself to have a bit of a vacation and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. And even though we’re in the middle of a heat wave currently, I’m grateful to not have to be standing on a hot subway platform or bumping into sweaty Times Square tourists. The evening breezes off the ocean have been a refreshing change from city life.

Rehearsals are going well and tomorrow (Sunday) is our day off before the big week of tech and opening weekend begins. I’m excited to start performing this show for an audience! The show is running about 85 minutes and with six actors playing a whole town of characters, we’re all running around the entire show with entrances, exits, and quick costume changes. It’s so much fun and I love that I get to do a little bit of everything including acting, singing, comedy, suspense, and heart break.

Here are some more pictures from the past week. Thanks for reading! xo

Sneak peek backstage with the Headless Horseman!

Sunset Beach

Seen while riding my bike at sunset out to the Cape May Lighthouse

Sunset Beach

Cape May Lighthouse at sunset

Phew! What a whirlwind the first week was. Last Monday morning I dragged my 60+ pound suitcase, duffel bag, and giant purse from Brooklyn over to Hoboken, where I caught a ride with the playwright and another actor down to Cape May. We arrived in Cape May and I was shown to the home of Buddy Wood, where I will be staying for the length of show, dropped my bags, and then was off to rehearsal. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is comprised of a cast of six, with myself and one other actor the only newbies to the theatre. From the moment I walked in, it was clear that once you are here, you are family. Rehearsals began with a bang and each night I found myself mentally and physically exhausted, but quite euphoric to be here working on this show.

Monday and Tuesdays are our long rehearsal days, so when Wednesday rolled around and I was done by 5pm, I was excited to start exploring the town. My first stop was to visit my Abuelos previous home. They sold it back in 1990, and I haven’t been back to Cape May since. When I was four, they had built an outdoor shower on the side of the house and my cousins, my brother, and I all put our footprints in the new cement. My mom had recently found a photo of the fresh imprints, and I was eager to go back and see if they were still there 25 years later. (Yes, you can do the math to figure out my age...) I found the home and walked back to where the shower was on the side of the house. Sure enough, when I felt the cement, I could tell there were little footprints made long ago. The pictures I took don’t show the indentations well, but between my fingers is where my name is written. While crouched down taking photos of the ground, the woman in the home came out and asked what I was up to. I apologized for intruding and told her that my grandparents used to own the home, and my footprints were in the cement. Turns out, she and her husband are the same couple that bought the house from my grandparents! She invited me in and showed me around the home and all the different changes and construction projects they’ve done over the years. They were so sweet and it was really neat to be able to see the home and know my footprints are still there.

The week progressed and I began to settle into life here for the next six weeks. Each day I’ve been trying to explore a new food place, beach, or local Cape May hang out. It has really been a fun mesh of work with play, I even feel like I’m on vacation at times.

More to come shortly, I'm off to watch the sunset! Thanks for reading! Before I go, I will share some of the photos I've been taking to document all the great sites.