Ladies and gentlemen: it’s time. Hoist the anchor.  Raise the sails. Grab an oar, just in case.

For the last few months, we at New Leaf have been working (frantically, distractedly, doggedly) to construct this ship that is The Long Count.  We have talked through story and structure, looking for whimsy and wonder, following our instincts and our impulses.  Our only blueprint thus far has been the question: How do we build a future from a present we didn’t expect? 

Along the way, we’ve already made some difficult discoveries. We invested time and energy in story ideas that we ultimately scrapped.  We felt the push and pull of our very, very, different ways of approaching the work, learning how to voice our frustrations, how to hang on through moments of feeling lost or left out, and how to bring everyone back on to the same page.   More or less.

So far, it’s just been the seven of us working on this ship.  Until now.

Our stage manager Rebecca joined us for last week’s auditions. And now our cast is confirmed. And we start rehearsals this week. We are essentially doubling the number of people on the boat, just like that. And I could not be more excited.

Even as we meet tonight to do some last-minute clean-up before we invite our guests on board, it strikes me that the ship has started to have a voice of its own. For example: we talked all along about casting an ensemble of seven — a nice, resonant number, not too big, not too small, good stage pictures, echoes the seven company members.  So yeah, seven people.

Our audition workshops were filled with wonderful people.  Talented actors with open minds and open hearts who jumped in with both feet — I would be proud to invite any of them to work with us. But when we talked about who belonged on the ship, who needed to be on the ship, we found there were eight.  Eight people. So we invited eight, thinking that one may turn us down, and then we’d have our magical seven.   They all said yes.  So I guess The Long Count wants eight people.

As we set sail this week, I hope we can continue to listen to what the ship/show wants from us. There will be rough waters, I’m sure.  Some seasickness, at least until we get our legs under us.  Maybe even a sea serpent or a dragon!  But there will also be sunrises on the horizon, the smell of salt water, the wind at our backs.  We expect to find land in mid-April, and we do hope you’ll join us there.  In the meantime, we’ll keep sharing the adventure.