Renaissance Players

It has been a busy and a bit funny storytelling week for Patti and James. The Children's Hospital storytelling on Fridays continues to be a HUGE blessing to us and to the children, families and staff. We can't believe how lucky we are that we get paid to hang out and listen and tell stories to these people during this very difficult time in their lives. WOW! And this week we realized that we are not getting lost as much. The hospital is like a labyrinth, and at last we are finding our way around

On Friday evening we were part of a gala event at a world class health spa, listed as one of the top-ten. The owner of the spa was celebrating his 50th birthday by flying in 45 of his best friends from around the country. James and Patti became the greeters, hosts and emcees for a French Renaissance dinner in a recently moved and reconstructed 17th century French chapel now located at the spa. We had to purchase upper class Renaissance costume (we're trying to get photos) and then greet and mingle with the crowd. Our characters were that of a noble Lord and Lady, hosting the event. A makeup artist on staff, who studied under the likes of Rick Baker, did our makeup and then a stylist put Patti in a below the shoulder blond wig. The evening was a great example of Interactive, Improvisational Story Theatre. What a wild trip!

We were so successful that they invited James to come back the next evening too, in a rented tiger costume, play the Louisiana Sate University Tiger mascot, Mike, and lead ten members of a high school band in playing the LSU fight song, as well as other marching band songs after LSU lost their semifinal game in the NCAA basketball tournament. (Most of the guest had graduated form LSU). They lost, so James directed the band to play a riff of Taps. He was wildly, and well received, and we hope that there will be other, less theatrical, storytelling jobs there in the future. Just another day or two, in the lives of professional storytellers.