I am beloved in Sweden...

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Quick post: A few random things...

Hi all! Here are just a few random thoughts I felt like sharing. First off, on Tuesday, Zach and I from our cast joined the team from Radio Golf (the Rep's Stiemke Theatre) for soul food at Mr. Perkin's place. Wow! I had smothered pork chops, greens, mac & cheese, and fried okra. Can't eat like this all the time, but once in a while, it's an immense treat!

Being in Wisconsin, the folks on the news are going to talk about the city Sheboygan rather often. Is it wrong that every time they do, I want to say "Sheboygan" like Jerry Lewis? And it kind of sounds like a wacky cartoon sound effect.

In the middle of my solo in the encore last night, I jabbed myself in the left eye socket with my thumb. Real smooth, Robertson. I instantly had a lump and multicolor bruising. But ice helped, and it doesn't look too bad today. I'm still taking some makeup to the theatre today.


A couple weeks ago, I drew the cast of the Rep's production of The Seafarer for the weekly project. It went over really well, and I've received so much positive feedback and just plain encouraging comments. (Maybe I jabbed myself in the eye because I'm not used to my head being this big.) But among the niftiest of things to come out of this is that Dawn, the Rep's managing director, asked if I'd donate a print to be signed by the cast and auctioned at their upcoming gala fundraiser. I feel so honored!

And the last topic today is that I was surprised to check in with my Equity insurance office to see when I might have health insurance coverage again... and I was told that beginning April 1, I have six months of coverage. Hallelujah! This means that as I hit the Big Apple in this crazy transition in my life, I have one less thing to stress about. Yippee!

Well, I've got to get back to the drawing board. I want to layout two more sketches before heading to the theatre for a nearly sold-out performance tonight. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Our Route 66 gang...

As we head into our day off at Route 66, I thought I'd post a shot of our cast. Here we are... Danny Calvert, Adam Estes, Zach Robbins, and me. It has been a tough but highly rewarding week, and we are happy to have the show up and running. It only gets easier from here. And we have more time to ourselves as well. I'm looking forward to the new temporary routine and a few local adventures too.

I'm happy to say that my bro and his family will be seeing the show next week. And then Mom, Grandma, Aunt Pam, and Aunt Sandi will see us in April.


Oh... Here's a shot of a couple of the lovely gifts we received on opening night (taken especially because they looked pretty together). The orange bag and mug are from director/author Roger Bean, and the cute car-covered cupcake is from Stackner cabaret artistic director Sandy Ernst. I also got some other amazing gifts and some really touching sentiments written in cards. It was a lovely opening night. [Note: I drew the Route 66 logo for Roger years ago, so it's really cool to see it all over the Rep's advertising and these gifts. Twice in the show, we even recreate the four little guys' actions. Who knew this would happen when it was on the drawing board?]

And now I've got to put final touches on a couple pieces for Squigs Knows His Lines. Take care, all! Peace and love.

The show is open and the snow is melting!

The highs have been in the 40s lately and huge snow drifts are mere wisps of their former selves. Local weather folk are saying that spring is on its way which I hope is true. I've actually enjoyed my daily walks in the cold, but I've found that it's sort of an art to bundle up in a way that allows a person to look somewhat decent upon arriving at one's destination.


The biggest news here is that Route 66 is now open! We had three days of "hurry up and wait" tech rehearsals followed by a tune-up day and a paying preview audience on Friday. Yesterday, we brushed up a few things before our call time. The Stackner cabaret was filled with enthusiastic folks, including our wonderful creative team and lots of Rep family. It was great to see pally Steve who was out to witness his wife Betsy's first choreographic work (so great). The show went over very well and many think it will do very well for the Rep and the Stackner's sales. That's a happy thing. Once I get access to some production photos, I'll post them here. Until then, here's another photo of fellows trying on cow headdresses.

Now we have one more performance tonight before a well-deserved day off. And now it's time for me to get into the routine of the next two months: drawing, regular gym visits, prepping for the NY move, seeing more of Milwaukee. So much to do!

Oh... While I'm in great company here in the MKE, it's always nice to see something from loved ones in my little Rep mailbox. If anyone wants to drop a line, here's my mailing address:

Justin Robertson
c/o Milwaukee Repertory Theatre
108 E. Wells St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Take care all! I hope to post more over the next weeks since I have some more time on my hands. Until the next time... peace and love.

And I helped...

It's not my usual style, but I did contribute to this commercial for Reprise Theatre Company's production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. John Hennessey, designer for Reprise, provided me with a photo of a Roman bust. I experimented with my Wacom tablet and made adjustments in Photoshop to make the bust look like it was in the midst of a goofy guffaw. Said bust is featured prominently in this commercial. Enjoy...

Rehearsing Route 66...

Just a quick entry today. Rehearsals are really chugging along here. [Note: Terms in italics are theatre terms that some reading this blog might not be familiar with. I don't mean to sound condescending to those in the know... just educational to those who might not be as familiar.] We've staged the entire show (learned where to go and what to do once we get there), and in the last two days we've stumbled through the whole thing (running the show, speedbumps and all, to see what we still have to focus on). Today, we'll be fixing things and focusing on trouble spots, and then we'll run through the whole show again. Tomorrow, the designers (lighting, sound, costumes, etc.) and theatre staff will watch our designer runthrough.

Then we'll be having dinner in our show venue (the Stackner Cabaret) and watching the closing performance of the current show (Pearl Bailey... By Request). Then we have a lovely day off before hitting tech week when we'll spend long hours putting all the elements together. The show we've been putting together in the rehearsal hall will meet the actual show space and all the collective elements our designers have in store for us. We welcome our first audience next Friday, March 5 (I think), and we officially open on Saturday, March 6. Here we go!

The photo above features (in the foreground) choreographer Bets Malone, director/writer Roger Bean, and stage manager Richelle Calin. And reflected in the mirror are fellow cast members Zach Robbins and Adam Estes. Yes, Zach is modeling cow horns. Ah, the glamorous life we lead! Ha ha!

Now I'm going to review my notes from last night so I don't make the same mistakes again. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Delinquent post... from Milwaukee!

Hello, all! I am SO sorry it has taken me a while to post an entry. I've had a few moments to myself, but they've mostly been spent getting settled in my temporary digs, reviewing music and choreography, catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, and an occasional outing with my show gang (a necessity when most of the days are spent with the nose at the grindstone). The above photo finds me in front of my home until early May – The Knickerbocker on the Lake. In the photo, my apartment is concealed behind the upper right corner of my hat.



Today was particularly glorious in the ways of winter. It really isn't too cold... upper 20s to mid 30s. But last night, a rain froze just before the snow arrived, so the snow stuck to all the trees, and this morning they were cloaked in white, down to the tiniest twig. Wow! Here's a view of the park across the street from the Knickerbocker. Lake Michigan is in the background. And then there's one of the lions that flanks the entrance to the hotel. I think I'll name him Nick. (Get it? Nick at the Knick!)

I haven't thought to take too many photos in rehearsals, but you can catch a glimpse of our cast in an interview here. And you can see our show's title tune in progress here. You might notice that I space out a couple places. Hey, I'm working on it! The footage was taken by local actor and personality John McGivern who, among many other irons in the fire, contributes a video blog to local theatre website (and playbill-type company) Footlights. John, a great guy and an amazing proponent of Milwaukee and the arts, also owns some of the lodgings the Rep is renting for us at the Knickerbocker, including my place.


Today on the day off, the Rep organized a trip to outlying shopping areas for those of us without cars. Our host, Marilyn, shuttled us to Target and Trader Joe's. Oh, how I love TJ's! I think my visit must have provided a bump in their market shares, but it feels good to have a well-stocked fridge full of healthy-ish goodies.

After rehearsal yesterday, some of the gang grabbed a bite and returned to the Rep to catch a performance of The Seafarer, a drunken tale centered around a poker game. The performances were just amazing... a real testament of the talent here in Milwaukee. And I was inspired to capture them in my weekly sketch for my Squigs Knows His Lines page. Here it is:


MILWAUKEE TIP #1:

In my regular (or semi-regular) posts here, I'll offer suggestions for places to visit in Cream City... to grab a bite, to have an adventure, to put the feet up or whatever. While not heeding a particular order of significance, I'll start with the Comet Cafe on Farwell. Everything I've had there so far has been delightful... the baked mac & cheese, the hummus and olive plate, some carefully selected microbrews. It's an old-school smoky dive that has received a facelift (ditching the "smoky" and adding healthier alternatives to their comfortable diner fare). This evening I was on the edge of my seat as we watched Olympic curling.

And across the street is a little hole-in-the-wall called Flipville Records where you must squeeze through cramped aisles to find vinyl of yesteryear and tchotchkes of yore (lunchboxes, action figures, Matchbox cars, etc.). It's a bit of a time machine on Milwaukee's east side.

Well, I've got to go practice my Route 66 moves so I don't look stupider in rehearsal tomorrow. Take care, all! Peace and love.