En Nueva York

We've returned to New York City and have just completed the final performance of The Ecuador Project.  The final two weeks in Quito, Leslie seemed to disappear at Papaya Net and then suddenly a script appeared (yes, I continue to be in awe of writers).  We hammered out the final edits and put our play on its feet… Then we had a rapid turnaround before our theatrical debut two days after our arrival in New York, perhaps as to avoid the impending culture shock of bills, jobs, social engagements, and the forgotten money-sucking black hole that is this lovely city and our lives living here.

 

So now I’m home and I apologize for this lengthy and unpunctual update.  This particular theatrical endeavor has finished and I suppose this entry is meant to be my final thoughts and summations, epiphanies and moments of self discovery…hmm?  How many drafts do I get? My transition into the pace of New York City is still taking its toll on me and I'm slowly unpacking literally and metaphorically.  I’m still evaluating and assessing the effects of this trip and our performance, of which a clear perspective is ever allusive.

 

The nature of our project and the work we accomplished has evolved from our original concepts. The play we’ve created is more a documentation of our travels and experiences, like a scrapbook of our journey through Ecuador… It is an attempt to create snapshots of a much larger, more complex picture.  

 

More than anything, these past two months have helped to nourish and inspire a different kind of journey for me, one that is personal and very much about my profession. Being a part of this kind of a project at this point in my career has proved to be a wonderful step.  For me, The Ecuador Project became about developing an artistic process and method of working with artistic agency.  It has encouraged me to be clear about the kind of people I desire to work with and the theatre I’m interested creating.  It has opened creative doors and in many ways encouraged me to think outside the box as an artist. Inevitably, I will carry this experience with me as I chose future endeavors and as I continue in lifelong travels. And of course there is infinite room for growth.

The Galapagos

The Galapagos are a collection of volcanic islands flung some distance into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador.  In its geological infancy, this infamous archipelago is not only in a social development boom, but in the midst of its physical formation as well.  During our stay on the island Isabela, active volcanoes turned the horizon of the star scattered sky into a glowing red and perfumed the sea air with the smell of sulfur.

These are tiny islands when thinking about the enormity of the Pacific, a brief underwater hotspot that sends pillows of lava just above the surface, a blip on the nautical radar clustering around the equator.  The ocean here grows and moves and breathes with a different intensity and life that is both awe inspiring and terrifying.  It is profound, perfect, omnipotent.  It’s easy to understand why humans throughout time have endowed the deep darkness of this blue beast with uncanny power. It changes so quickly it’s mesmerizing and you loose your bearings.  Even on a bright and calm morning, ten foot swells easily rise and fall like sighs or momentary passing thoughts.  Its color can travel an entire spectrum in meters, reflecting a myriad of glassy cobalt, sharp turquoise, fuzzy sea foam, steely gray, blinding icy blue, hard deep navy, and soft sprays of white.

It is on a tiny toy of a boat while being tossed thoughtlessly between swells that I clung with white knuckles to the broken buckles of my enormous lifejacket and the steel bar at the front of the boat.  It is here that I prayed.  Please God, Poseidon, sea god, Pacific Ocean, or all of the above, deliver us safely to the lava tunnels for which we paid an overpriced amount to see. Don’t let my body be catapulted from this

 rickety motorboat and swallowed forever by the never-ending water surrounding us.   And the water wasn’t even menacing, just big!  

 

My awe for the ocean only magnified when we jumped off yet another tiny boat several days later for a snorkel expedition at El Leon Dormiendo (the Sleeping Lion) two enormous rock formations off the coast of San Cristobel. Think Lord of the Rings.

I admit, I don’t like to snorkel.  I respect the ocean and the many large, slippery potentially dangerous animals that live there.  Isn’t there something disconcerting about breathing underwater?  In any case, I also suffer from FOMOS, Fear of Missing Out Syndrome. So when my gang sprang off the boat into the deep salty water, I followed with my flippers and mask in tote.  The coral and neon fish were definitely beautiful and I did feel like I was swimming in an aquarium (not that I ever felt inclined to do so in the past)… I even maintained steady breathing as I watched sea life disappear into the bottomless dark abyss below me.  

Sea lions playfully swam around us and seemed to act as our guides around the wall of rock towards a narrow inlet between the two massive rocks measuring about 30 feet wide.  Not surprisingly the current picked up and pushed against us as if challenging us to enter.  Of course we kicked our way through the water, our faces smooshed into fogged masks and breathing through tiny inefficient tubing.   As the afternoon wore on, I realized the weight of the flipper and seemingly increasing curre

nt had exhausted me.  However when I lifted my head in an awkward tread, our boat had disappeared around the rock, as did the rest of my group.  I was alone.  No wait, I wasn’t alone…. I looked down me to discover five sharks circling in the now foreboding black water. 

 

Now it was Leslie who had read Jaws a week earlier, not me.  I had no reason to panic right?  If that was true, then what was that feeling rising in my chest?  Why was my heart pounding?? And why the hell was the current so damn strong suddenly?! In that moment I seemed to logic that sharks could smell fear and that as long as I didn’t touch any of the razor sharp volcanic rock surrounding me they would have no reason to smell my blood.  All I had to do was to swim through the gorge to find the boat, my group, and thus safety.  I was a lifeguard; I could swim.  Panic kept at bay, I plodded through the water powered primarily by adrenaline, which quickly evaporated when I collapsed on the sea soaked floor of our boat.  It is now clear to me that I have no desire to go snorkeling again and have a renewed love for boat deck sunbathing!    

 

Yes, the power, magnitude and subtlety of nature have an undeniable presence here.  The sea, the fearless and unusual animals, the evolutionary anomalies, even the volcanic molten lava… It’s unlike any place on earth filled with adventure and discovery.  

Cepillarse los dientes!

Its as true here in Ecuador as it is in the states, every kid is different. Different tastes, humors, distractions, fears, insecurities.... But some things are certain, all kids need and crave love and attention. They are resiliant. They are easily embarrased by thier peers. They feel encouragement and respond to praise, even with language barriers. Most like hugs and puppies and goofy faces, being included and being noticed. With a little warming up, its easy to remember kids are kids. Everywhere. After six theatre workshops with kids from 3 - 17 years old, its hard to find any pattern more prominent than that. Kids are kids, people are people.

The main objective of our workshops is to connect with kids, exchange some ideas and hopefully have fun doing so. We fumble through spanish and translators and in the end it really just takes making fools of ourselves to get them from shy giggles to acting like wild lions and writing thier own plays. As Rachel put it, kids may be able to fake satisfaction but they can´t fake having fun... Their entire bodies change; they get bigger, thier eyes spark alive, they laugh and glow and thier focus springs outward. We play basic warm-up and trust games and time permiting, work on playwriting exercises. (In Quilatoa where we had a bit more time, the kids performed their peices for their parents). Its great to think that each kids has walked away knowing the basic elements of a play, but we´re happy if all they took from our workshop was a silly afternoon.

We have just finished our stay in the Amazon Jungle where we worked with the school kids of the indigenous El Pilche community. What made this last workshop most unique however is that we geared our theatrical purpose to what they voiced as the primary concern facing the kids: dental hygeine. ¨Can you teach the kids about brushing their teeth?¨Carmen, our primary coordinator from La Selva Lodge, had asked us.


Well, since we´re actors not dentists, we wrote and performed a play. Of course a little play would never inspire ANY seven year old to pick up a toothbrush and have at it... Heck, I remember pretending to be half asleep and lying to my mom that I had already brushed my teeth to avoid the boring and seemingly pointless routine. But as I´ve cringed at the newly adopted post-college dental bills, I have come to terms with the realization that I can´t go wrong with investing in my teeth. This is of course one of many luxuries I have taken for granted. Not only have I always had a dentist, but I also have parents that were adament enforcers of my dental habits.

I digress. We knew the kids didn´t even have toothbrushes so we carted over 200 donated American toothbrushes through Ecuador until Thursday afternoon. We made our little play a springboard into a toothbrushing extraveganza. Brushing our teeth is fun right?!


Now, I may not be a dentist, but I have spent a solid amount of time in the denist´s office. $1000´s of dollars, 4 years of braces, 9 pulled teeth and countless cleanings and exams later, I should practically be an expert... at least at the basics. While the rest of our team occupied the kids with theatre games, Leslie and I were stationed in a tiny cement room which served as their clinic and cycled through the kids. We helped to record the names, weight and height of over 60 kids, an essential first step for doctors which will hopefully visit in August. Even the thick Amazonian humidity and clouds of knats didn´t seem to dampen my enthusiasm; My spanish is far from perfect, but I know how to brush some teeth. I took great pleasure in the vitally important task of offering a variety of toothbrush colors and styles. Not surprisingly, boys prefer blue and the girls pink.
We sheparded them outside for a mass brushing. I geared up my own toothbrush and scrubed along: adentro, abajo, todos los lados, tu lengua... MUUY buuuueenno ..... 2 minutos! With a toothbrush dangling from my foaming mouth, I squated in front of three-year old Isabella. Her entire front row of baby teeth were rotted away and she had never held a toothbrush. As I had done many a babysitting nights, I gently took her toothbrush, ¨necisitas ayuda?¨I smiled... she nodded enthusiastically. In tiny circles I pressed lightly against her teeth. She giggled and let me move a bright red plastic toothbrush from one side of her mouth to the other. I told her to rinse after an accomplished two minutes of quality brushing. She bounced to the hose and doused her entire face. Beaming, she returned to me and flashed a grin, whispering that red was her favorite color before she ran to join her friends.
The teachers labeled each toothbrush and now they´ll brush thier teeth together at school.

Talk about interactive theatre for social change.

Quilotoa

My New York manicure has long since chipped into funny shapes, artfully replaced by cracks and dirt, scrapes and bruises. My body is beginning to bear ¨war wounds¨: marks where that giant black sheep rammed into me on our epic hike on Friday, my peeling sunburn, and of course my appitite still alludes me. As most travelers fear, my stomach has also been transformed into a disgruntled, picky teenager, leaving me in a constant flux between insatiable cravings (usually of New York cuisine) and utter nausea. Lately my daydreams tend to focus on the unattainables such as waffles, cereal, grits, salad, hot showers, relief from my Esmereldan sunburn, saunas and of course a really great massage for my stiff ass body. Yes, the freezing foggy nights and digestive culprits are set apart from my otherwise glorious, profoundly rewarding, breathtaking week in Quilatoa. Again I find myself at Playanet in Quito after a long chugging busride from high altitude. For the past week I have been quietly tucked away in Quilatoa, a village of 125 Quechuan peoples at the top of volcanic crater lake. It is in fact one of the most prosperous indigenous communities in Ecuador but internet, working phones, heating units and even a functional mailbox are nonexsistant.

This of course was a perfect backdrop for our group to get a taste for high Andean, Quechuan lifestyle. As per request, we spent the week teaching English and Theatre workshops for sixth graders at two local schools.

The most striking discovery? Sixth graders are the same everywhere... well almost. The boys were for the most part wild, loud and silly and the girls were above all else, rediculously shy and quiet, a sharp contrast to the women in our group!

Most rewarding moment? walking down the long dirt road back to our hostal and hearing a tiny voice yell, ¨Gracias Lydia!¨ That and hearing the five girls who stayed after school sing the newly learned ABC´s -- oh a tearjerker for sure.

Most difficult moment? Struggling to start the fire in our tiny woodburning stove.... and barely lukewarm showers on muddy freezing tiles.

Most exhausting moment? arriving at Chugchalan, a tiny town seven mile trecherous awe-inspiring grueling mountain expedition and sitting at a little cafe to eat lunch... then being sick after one bite. ugn.

Most exhaustingly upsetting moment? That damn ram that knocked me down the trail and I was too tired to fight back. Just enough to whine and cry a little... the jerk.

Funniest moment? Singing head, shoulders, knees, and toes ... in Quetchuan.

Cutest kitten? Josè

Cutest little student that I wanted to pack in my suitcase and take home and keep forever? Franklin.

Greatest acomplished in Ecuador thus far? Starting plans to work on a community arts center in Quilatoa, a ongoing Dramatic Adventure investment and endeavor! We´ll be returning to Quilatoa in future projects to further develop this incredible community project to support the enrichment of local arts, education, dance, music, storytelling, theatre and more!

Thus my time at Playanet has consumed my brief changeover day in Quito. We leave bright and early tomorrow for a 13hour bus ride to Coca- 2hour canoe ride into La Salva, the Amazon. From there we fly to Galapagos until the 6th of June... Until then- Kayakama!

Ecuador´s Coastal Emerald

The mountains released us from Quito into the fingers of the jungle as our TransEsmereldas bus lumbered towards the Northwestern coastal town of Esmereldas. Through our fogged bus windows, we discovered another Ecuador: the blink of shanty towns wedged into the the kink of mountainsides, neon palates of clotheslines, trees of lavendar and pink, rope footbridges, women stretching over water basins working clothing into knots, scattered flocks of white birds thrown into flight like wedding rice. The sloppy mudslide of our Andean highway delivered us to a techicolor world at the base of jurassic mountains towering around us. We passed hollow skeletons of construction, shirtless futbol stars, towering piles of tires and bananas, children racing barefoot, tin roofs, and a series of dark green pipes that remind us that we were approaching the final belch of the PetroEcuador oil pipeline in Esmeredas. We followed a twisting river through the afternoon, out of the mountains and into dusk. There, in an exploration of voyerism, we peered into the outskirts of Esmereldas, skimming the surface of our next destination. Open doors and reed walls flashed the briefest of glimpses into intimate scenes - families of women dressed for the tropical night, clusters of teenage boys gathered around porch pooltables, stray dogs eating trash, stoops layered with lounging sillouettes.... all bathed in the same flouresent bare lightbulb.

Lonely Planet tactfully suggests to tourists to aviod the unaesthetic, dangerous coastal town of Esmereldas. Its true, Esmereldas seems to be a crumbling, dirty city upon first glance and the growing numbers of gangs continues burden the city. But as a towering billboard announces, "Si es posible cambiar Esmereldas... es su playa, mantengala limpia"... In a nut shell, its possible to change Esmereldas, its your beach, lets keep it clean. Beneath the grime and ever present nighttime threats of robbery, we found it impossible to resist the thriving Caribbean beats and flavors and movement and color.

Indeed Esmereldas is the emerald of Ecuador´s coastline, unforseen, unsolicited, and unassuming. Its known for its renowned seafood delights and has the highest concentration of AfroEcuadorians, which in conjunction with its radiant spectrum of tropical colors, it makes one feel closer to a Caribbean island than the Ecuadorian countryside just a few hours east.

Our original itinerary for Esmereldas states our weeklong objective as "to develop contacts in the community for future arts work. See a national arts festival. Make workshops happen... Venue:TBA." As with many of our plans here in Ecuador, we have been learning to be in the moment, of the moment. Half the time, plans are made day of and aside from our own rehearsals, nearly every event or meeting starts late, gets postponed or changes locations at least twice. We´ve been experiencing this spontaneous action planning first hand and thus the question marks throughout the Esmereldas section of my tattered itinerary quickly evaporated. We hit the coast running.

After meeting with the impressively multi-talented, retired basketball star turned socially active actor/director Victor Hugo, we had a more concrete roadmap through our time in Esmereldas. Victor ran the internationally renowned theatre company La Catunga and was more than eager to help us in our quest to create our Ecuador project. Not only did he help facilitate our time workshoping at Colegio Bella Arts, a high school for the arts, but also arranged time to work and exchange artistically with his theatre company.

After a week of sweltering humidity, impromtu marimba dancing, hot rainstorms, spanglish highschool theatre workshops, new friendships, sunburns and the most incredible coconut curried seafood, we reluctantly said our goodbyes and boarded TransEsmereldas to climb 13,000 feet to the next leg of our journey... Quilatoa in high Andes.

La Lluvia

I sit looking out a beautiful glass wall watching beads of rain gather into thin streams which then snake to the ground. I look down at my cheap, brightly colored plaid umbrella thinking, yes this is perhaps the best spent $2 yet. Since our arrival on Wednesday, the sprawling Andean city of Quito has greated us with a varied collection of culture shockers and eye openers... including daily torrential downpours and hailstorms which inevitably send waves of people rushing to find shelter. This year as been worse than any other -- global warming poses itself as a likely culprit. Like clockwork, the gods open the heavens each afternoon and the Spanish colonial streets of Quito transform into a colorful flurry of plaid and polka-dotted nylon patterns. This daily event presents the question that perhaps most travelers face, ¨besides not packing rainpants, how else am I surprisingly unprepared?¨

Its been an intense five days at nearly two miles above sea level in a city of over 1.4 million people, the vast majority far below the poverty line. Its hard to gauge the degree of culture shock I´m experiencing after absorbing so much so quickly. Exhausion, disorientation, the maze of Spanish, new friendships and group dynamics, the reindroduction of Latin American poverty, theft, suspicion, loneliness, freezing nights, filthy children venders, cobblestone streets and the breathtaking colonial architecture, the airy tin sound of church bells, the grandeaur of our landscape, the excitement after our first rehearsal and ultimately the blossoming of our theatrical project and purpose here.

But for now, Leslie, Rachel, Jeremy and I sit in silence, accompanied by our amazingly festive and fancy vodka martinis, letting the smooth warm sensation of an approaching buzz wrap around us. I can see across the valley to the misted hillsides of Volcan Pinchincha and Loma Cruz, the massive volcanos that flank the western edge of Quito, and watch as they spark to life with the orange glow of tiny street lamps. Indeed we will soon be venturing back into the storm and slowly desend into the flooded chilly streets of Quito. But for the moment, we allow ourselves to feel cozy and protected from our magnificant panoramic perch atop Ichimbia, the eastern foothill overlooking the city -- our dry little tourist bubble. Our adventure has begun and we are all to aware of the few dry spells we´re alotted in which our culture shock subsides long enough to enjoy an overpriced cocktail.

The Plan - Our extensive itinerary!

Voices from Ecuador
Detailed Itinerary


Quick Glance:
Quito: 4/30 - 5/9 (intro., development, language immersion course)
Otavalo: 5/9 - 5/10 (observation, market)
Ibarra: 5/11 (transit break)
Esmeraldas: 5/12 - 5/19 (workshops, theatre festival)
Tigua: 5/20 - 5/25 (workshops)
Quito: 5/26 - 5/27 (transit break)
La Selva/El Pilche Community: 5/28 - 5/30 (workshops, hygiene play, Dr. visit, toothbrushes)
Coca (or Quito): 5/31 (transit break)
Galapagos: 6/1 - 6/5 (observation, relaxation, decompression)
Quito: 6/6 - 6/22 (major rehearsals, workshops, artist workshops, festival)
NYC shows: 6/23 – 7/6




Schedule:
4/30 - DEPART from JFK at 11:45am (transfer in Miami, 3 hour layover)
ARRIVE in Quito at 8:45pm
5/1 - FREE DAY – Holiday “Labor Day”
Get over any jet lag in Quito
Get to know the city, sight see
Meet with Carolina and Wolf (time and place to be determined)
Jesse and Mary: meeting with Wolf to discuss Tigua.
5/2 – Holiday “Labor Day” - TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS, Confirm activities, Attend a show
5/3 - THEATRE IN QUITO
Jesse and Mary: meeting with Patio de Comedias Theatre and Ana at 12:30pm to work out some details. (Confirm workshop dates for when we return to Quito.
Confirm rehearsal space. Arrange time to meet with “workshoppers,” challenge them to develop something while we are away)
Develop new contacts with the theatre community.
Attend Ana’s show.
5/4 – mass optional, WORKSHOP: development. REHEARSE: first impressions.
5/5 – LANGUAGE Immersion Classes, JEREMY’S BIRTHDAY!! Party in the Mariscal!
Note: The Language immersion classes include two dance classes and one cooking class. Dates and Times TBA.
5/6 – LANGUAGE Immersion Classes
5/7 – LANGUAGE Immersion Classes
5/8 – LANGUAGE Immersion Classes
5/9 – LANGUAGE Immersion Classes, TRAVEL DAY to Otavalo.



OTAVALO
GOAL: Soak in the atmosphere, Accomplish your observation task, buy a souvenir
Expectations: 2 - 2.5 hour bus ride from Quito
Accomodation: Hostal Ishka

Schedule:
5/9 – LANGUAGE Immersion Classes, TRAVEL DAY to Otavalo (date repeated). See the Animals unloaded. The town is very busy for these days.
5/10 – TASK/SIGHTSEEING DAY. Visit the Indian market and discover the local people’s skill at weaving. A vast range of belts, tapestries, ponchos and other clothing items are available to purchase.





IBARRA
GOAL: Save time and energy getting to Esmeraldas.
Expectations: 35 minute bus ride from Otavalo
Accommodation: Hostal El Retorno - A cheery little place with pint size bed and tvs.

TIPS: If we can figure out the bus schedule in Otavalo, we can travel from Otavalo to Ibarra to Esmeraldas in one day. Therefore extending our time in Otavalo, but perhaps we won’t want to. Ibarra is famous for it’s wood carvings.

Schedule:
5/11 – IN-TRANSIT DAY. Relax or Explore the new terrain.




ESMERALDAS
GOAL: Develop contacts in the community for future arts work. See the festival. Workshop.
Venue: TBD. Navy Base Possibility
Accommodation: Mrs. Cruz is working on something, but if that falls through we will stay at the Hostal Miraflores.
Expectations: Setting up workshops in Esmeraldas, arranging for lodging

TIPS: Go to as much theatre as possible and talk with the local artists and workshop with the students. Make the workshops happen.

Schedule:
5/12 – TRAVEL DAY, 9 hour bus ride,
5/13 – WORKSHOP. THEATRE FESTIVAL.
5/14 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP. THEATRE FESTIVAL.
5/15 – REHEARSE. THEATRE FESTIVAL.
5/16 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP/FIESTA. THEATRE FESTIVAL.
5/17 – FREE DAY.
5/18 – FREE DAY.
5/19 – REHEARSE.



TIGUA
GOAL: Workshop. Learn from local artists.
Venue: TBD.
Accommodation: TBD. Possible homestay.
Alternatives:
HOSTAL LLULLU LLAMA http://www.llullullama.com/.

Contact: Wolf Ramio
Company: Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Website: http://www.wolframio.com/
Expectations: Accomplished Actor, Acting Professor at University San Francisco de Quito. Skilled in the use of masks. Recently discovered contact who we will hopefully be working with, within the indigenous community (traditional Quichua Community with a uniquie blend of Catholicism and traditional beliefs) of Tigua.


TIPS: Make it happen. Tigua is known for it’s paintings of traditional life on sheepskins. Be sure to purchase one as a souvenir.

Schedule:
5/20 – TRAVEL DAY
5/21 – REHEARSE, WORKSHOP
5/22 – WORKSHOP
5/23 – FREE DAY. It’s my brother Timmy’s birthday and he is surprisingly in Ecuador!
5/24 – REHEARSE, WORKSHOP
5/25 – REHEARSE “hygiene” sketch, WORKSHOP/FIESTA



QUITO
GOAL: Save time and energy getting to La Selva.

TIPS: Sleep well.

Schedule:
5/26 – TRAVEL DAY. Leave the Andes for Quito. Get a good night’s sleep.
5/27 – TRAVEL NIGHT. Free day. Take a night bus to Coca on Transesmeraldas at 9:30 pm.



LA SELVA/EL PILCHE (amazon)
GOAL: perform a hygiene sketch, hand out toothpaste and toothbrushes, have a doctor give the kids a check-up and workshop with the children and their parents
Accommodation: La Selva Jungle Lodge
Venue: The Local School in El Pilche. A big classroom, a library, community area, soccer fields, and playground will be made available for our purposes. (Workshop with 100 children and 40 parents)

Website: www.laselvajunglelodge.com
Note: They work in the community in collaboration with WMN Foundation (WMN = “ Wanapaay Maqui Numi” which is a Kichwa name that means “Helping hand of the forest”)
Expectations: Provide lodging, food, transport, translators, venue, and community. La Selva meals are pretty complete, although you have cofee, tea and water all day. Extra snacks are not included. They have a bar, drinks there are not included.

TIPS: The people in this community will be quite SHY, but the children should be more than eager to participate. ALL WILL BE READY TO LISTEN TO ANYTHING WE PRESENT!

Schedule:
5/28 – TRAVEL DAY. Get off the night bus around 6am. Get Breakfast and rest. Meet a LA SELVA Representative at Hotel La Mision at 11:15 am. Take a fast canoe to La Selva Lodge. Settle in at La Selva Jungle Lodge, shower and nap. There is an excursion planned in the afternoon with a native guide to learn more about rainforest with an optional excursion at night.
5/29 – Meet with local communities, PERFORM “hygiene” sketch, GIVE Toothbrushes to the elders of the community, ASSIST MEDICAL CHECK-UPS, WORKSHOP with the kids and adults.
5/30 – REHEARSE. There is an excursion planned in the afternoon with a native guide to learn more about rainforest with an optional excursion at night.



QUITO
GOAL: Get through this tough travel day, so that you can get to the galapagos.


TIPS: Sleep whenever possible. If the budget allows, we will fly and arrive in Quito at 12:30pm.

Schedule:
5/31 – TRAVEL DAY. Take the canoes back to Coca. Arrive in Coca around 10:00 am, get lunch and take the bus to Quito at 2:30 pm. Arrive in Quito at 10:00 pm. Taxi to our rooms.


GALAPAGOS
GOAL: Take in the beauty, reflect, decompress, chill


Schedule:
6/1 – TRAVEL DAY. Fly to Isla Baltra airport. Ferry to Isla Santa Cruz. You could stop by the harbor and watch the pelicans as you head to the Darwin research institute to see the huge turtles!

HOTEL SANTA CRUZ. US. Tell the bus driver where you are going and s/he can drop you off in front of this hotel.

The Hotel Santa Cruz is very popular with backpackers and national tourists. Even though it is a bit far from the boardwalk (in Puerto Ayora standards) and accommodations are basic, the Hotel Santa Cruz is the cheapest and most family-oriented in town. It is owned and operated by Cristobal and Angela Erazo, a kind, laid-back elderly couple, who can share with you some interesting historical anecdotes of the Islands. There are eight rooms--2 singles, 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 quadruple--with private bathrooms, tepid-water showers (translation: no hot water), and portable fans. It is a safe and relatively comfortable option for travelers on a fixed budget.


6/2 – SIGHTSEEING DAY. Isla Santa Cruz. REHEARSE on Tortuga bay with white sand, turquoise water, and iguanas. You could also visit LAS GRIETAS. Apparently, it’s a beautiful lake with these special rocks. Alternatively, you could take a boat trip to Floreana Island. Dolphins. Snorkeling. Visit a colony of sea lions.

HOTEL SANTA CRUZ. Information above.

6/3 – SIGHTSEEING DAY. Ferry to Isla Isabella. Here there are a huge diversity of animals. Be sure to visit the flamingos. You could go horse back riding to Sierra Negra the second biggest volcano in diameter in the world or Hike to the top of Chico Volcano, an active crater from which you can see the whole Island. The crater lake of EL ESTELO is also beautiful and worth taking a look at. But you may decide that you’d rather go snorkeling under the mangroves at CONCHA BERLA. However, it is cold.


6/4 – SIGHTSEEING DAY. Isla Isabella. Today, you could visit the CENTRO DE CRIANZA TORTUGAS. It is breeding center for the giant turtles and you can see many baby turtles here. You could also visit MURO DE LAS LAGRIMAS, a wall 6KM from town. Not so spectacular in and of itself, but it is an interesting journey with great spots along the way. Alternatively you could go on a tour of Tintoreras Island for US$10, it’s home of the white-tipped reef shark and you can also snorkel with sea lions.

HOTEL SULA SULA. Information Above.

6/5 – SIGHTSEEING DAY. Ferry to Isla San Cristobal. You can snorkel, visit “Loberia”, the place where most of the sea lions gather, and watch the sun set at LAS TIJERETAS (30 minute walk) or at PLAYA MAN. The setting sun in both locations are breathtaking. You could also go to the INTERPRETATION CENTER and discover the history of Galapagos from both the viewpoint of society and nature. Visit the beautiful crater lake, EL JUNCO.

SAN FRANCISCO HOSTEL
This a simple family run hostel on San Cristobal Island, it caters to budget travellers. All rooms have basic facilities with private bathroom and shower. It is located on the main street of town by the oceanfront walk. Steps away from local operators, scuba diving shops and stores.


QUITO
GOAL: Continue to develop contacts in the arts community, Workshop/Collaborate with local artists, Take Rehearsals to another level, Finish Workshops strong.


TIPS: At this point rehearsal needs to be top priority. We will be performing this piece very soon. Begin debriefing about what's next after getting home, the next steps for DAT. Have a chat about the total experience, the good, the bad, the ugly.

Schedule:
6/6 – TRAVEL DAY. Can take a ferry (5 or 6am) directly from San Cristobal to the airport.
6/7 – FREE DAY.
6/8 – REHEARSE.
6/9 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP with STREET LIGHT CIRCUS KIDS
6/10 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP with STREET LIGHT CIRCUS KIDS
6/11 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP/FIESTA with STREET LIGHT CIRCUS KIDS
6/12 – REHEARSE.
6/13 – REHEARSE.
6/14 – FREE DAY.
6/15 – FREE DAY.
6/16 – REHEARSE.
6/17 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP with THEATRE COMMUNITY
6/18 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP with THEATRE COMMUNITY
6/19 – REHEARSE. WORKSHOP/FIESTA with THEATRE COMMUNITY
6/20 – OPEN REHEARSAL. We will invite a few new friends to come see a run of the show.
6/21 – FREE DAY, pick up any last minute prop or set pieces and souvenirs. PACK!
6/22 – FIESTA DE SAN JUAN, enjoy the festivities!


THE NYC PRODUCTION

TRAVEL DAY
6/23 - DEPART Quito at 6:35am (transfer in Miami, 4 hour layover)
ARRIVE in JFK at 6:27pm.


OFF
6/24

Expectations: Relax, unpack


RED ROOM THEATRE
85 E. 4th St., New York, NY 10003

FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL/TECH REHEARSAL
6/25
Venue: Red Room Theatre
Expectations: Rehearse trouble spots/Tech. Run/Final Dress – Chipotle card provided.

WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCES
6/26 @ 8:00pm
Venue: Red Room Theatre
Expectations: Standing Ovation – Chipotle card provided.

6/27 @ 8:00pm
Venue: Red Room Theatre
Expectations: Standing Ovation.

6/28 @ 8:00
Venue: Red Room Theatre
Expectations: Standing Ovation.


TEATRO IATI
64 E. 4th St., New York, NY 10003

TECH REHEARSAL
7/3
Venue: Teatro IATI
Expectations: Tech. Run Through.

7/5
Venue: Teatro IATI
Expectations: Standing Ovation.

7/6
Venue: Teatro IATI
Expectations: Standing Ovation.