In less than two and a half weeks, I’ll embark on my third Fall orientation tour with GTC Dramatic Dialogues. We’re in the midst of rehearsing with a new moderator who has joined our team, Chris Kidder, who also happens to be a friend of mine and someone who’s directed me in the past.

Rehearsal is going very well, and Chris is proving to be a quick study. He’s got a very good, natural sense of what the job requires, and he’s got his head firmly wrapped around the material. He’s going to be great.

From August 16th to 26th, we’ll be on the road. Aside from Chris and myself, the troupe will also include Jen Rand and Damian Robinson. Jen and I are both friends with Chris, so this promises to be a fun, easy-going group.

This time around, I’m inheriting the job of Tour Manager, which means I’ll rent the cars, check into the hotels, and work with our contacts at the schools. That stuff usually falls within the moderator’s responsibilities, but because Chris’ addition to the team was so last-minute, Michael decided to hand those duties off to me, so all Chris has to worry about is moderating. This means I get to be the final word on where we stop for food and when we stop for bathroom breaks. I’ll be drunk with power.

Incidentally, Chris Kidder’s also writing a column about The Minnesota Fringe Festival for City Pages. He used to be a popular Fringe blogger, before the Fringe website did away with that this year. Check out Chris’ Fringe column here: http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/fringe_festival/

To find out about Chris’ theater company, Commedia Beauregard, go here: http://www.cbtheatre.org

And by the way, the Fringe starts today! Go out and see a ton of shows! I’m planning to catch my roommate’s one-man show, An Intimate Evening with Fotis: Part II, tonight at 7:00 PM. Go!