My White House Account

Well...you've seen press pictures....and you've seen the CBS footage of our amazing little show at the White House. BUT I'm sure the thing you've all REALLY been waiting for is my picture collection and thoughts on the day! Well wait no longer. Here are the thoughts. Here are the photos. Here is the magic from our week that JUST keeps getting crazier. (We were on JAY LENO TONIGHT! Did you know THAT? Just a QUICK little clip...but we were there....and that's a big deal. And people saw us!)

Our White House day was an EARLY start...and I'll tell you what...an early start was NOT a good thing after a night of LITTLE sleep. I woke up about every 20 minutes - paranoid that I had slept through my alarm. After about 5 hours of fitful sleep, I got up, got showered and met everyone in the lobby at 6am. Everyone was in good spirits - despite the fact that pretty much everyone slept the same way the night before. But really who cares? We were going to the White House.

BUT FIRST - we had to go to the Kennedy Center to get ready...and we had about an hour and a half or so to get ready to roll. Luckily, for me, it takes me about 7 minutes to get ready. So for the first hour and twenty-three minutes, I ate yougart and played mahjong on my phone...so

I could take my mind off how nervous I was slowly becoming.

Finally it was time to head to the White House - so we loaded up in the van...everyone in costume (except for those who didn't have to wear one...like Graham and Elisa) and we made the drive the few short blocks to the White House. I was actually anticipating the security to get IN to take much longer. BUT - I guess there isn't a LOT of security to process at 7-ish in the morning. They did a quick security check with us all in the van and checked our ID's - and then they let us drive IN to the grounds and park - and we had to do another check in at the gates where you walk in. And we all got our White House Guest badges. And it all started to sink in.

The performance was schedule for 10:42am EST...and it was just about 7:42am at this point. The next few hours consisted of a lot of waiting in various holding rooms - and a quick microphone check and a chance to run through some of the numbers - and then some more waiting. And we all were still in amazing spirits...even though it still hadn't really hit us yet. The stage space turned out to be just about the size we had last rehearsed on - and the sound seemed to be working well, so we all were starting to fell like we were going to make it through the whole experience without TOO much incident!

After a lot of waiting, we were taken up to the Blue Room - just outside the East Room - and were standing by the Christmas tree in the room just talking - the 7 of us in the cast - and suddenly, we look up when we hear, 'Are you the cast?' And lo and behold, THERE was Laura Bush! Just standing there, smiling and welcoming us to the White House - and thanking US for being there! It was so SO surreal. And she was SO DANG NICE! She has a very easy going manner about her - and was very interested in where we all came from and the show and the tour. She was also very delightful to talk to about the White House...telling us about some of the history of the rooms and furniture and some of the landscaping. The coolest part is that we had about 15-20 minutes of time with her, just the 7 of us and The First Lady. Afterwards, as we waited in the Red Room, one of the military escorts mentioned how GREAT it was for her to spend so much time with us just chatting because that is so rare!

After about 15-20 minutes with just Mrs. Bush, she suddenly said, 'Well there he is!' And she was RIGHT! I looked up and there was the President coming towards us with a huge smile! He shook everyones hands and thanked us for being with them in the White House! First impressions: He's MUCH taller than I thought he would be. Maybe 6'1" - or 2". I expected him to be more....HOBBIT-ish. I also found him to be strikingly handsome in person. And like him or not, he has an amazing ability to make you feel like you are the only person in the room. When he shakes your hand, he looks right at you, and you have his FULL attention. He is very happy and friendly, and even his critics in my cast (and they are many) were taken by him and his attention to us during our time with them. After about 5-10 minutes chatting with both of them, we got a quick picture and then we were ushered out as everyone was ushered into the East Room for our show.

I wish I could remember more about the show. I remember once we got started, my throated and lips were SO DRY. (And I didn't have any water....blasted.) I remember that the children were SO CLOSE! I remember little mess-ups here and there. And I remember the LINE of cameras and TV cameras and reporters and press! And then I remember the performance being DONE and looking up and seeing President and Mrs. Bush heading towards us to shake our hands and thank us, AGAIN! I think as far as the show goes, and all the work and altering we had to do, it turned out to be an amazing representation of our show. It was sad to not have the puppets...but maybe it will get people to the theater to see the REAL show! (And I'm happy to report that the day after our appearance and press coverage, the sales went berzerk. When I looked tonight, all but 3 of our shows were sold out! BOO-YAH!)

I think I was MOST humbled by the children and families that were present. We were performing for children who have a parent serving in the military overseas. Most of them present that day have parents in the middle East. And after our show, we had the chance to talk to them and get pictures with them - and each and everyone of them came up to us with HUGE smiles and thanked us for coming and for our show and sharing out talents! And I was so taken aback by it - because what we had done was SO little and insignificant compared to what I should be thanking THEM FOR! It is their husbands and wives and mothers and fathers who are serving in the military to secure our freedoms. I'm pretty sure that in the long run, the impact of their loved ones will go FAR beyond the days impact of 24 minutes of Willy Wonka. But if it helped ease whatever they were feeling, being away from their loved ones this holiday season, then I'm THRILLED and honored to be a part of it.

I've told a lot of people that there is no way to really explain it all. 3 days after the fact, it STILL seems unreal to me. And when I try to think of adjectives that I could use to describe the experience, NONE of them do the job. Amazing pales to what I experienced! It was just SO COOL! I think it's safe to say that it was EVERYTHING I hoped it would be - and more. The Christmas decorations were unbelieavable...and the whole White House smelled incredible. The best pine scent EVER! Everyone involved with putting the event together - from the White House staff to the secret service to the members of the military on hand - couldn't have been nicer. And all of the Wonkerer's came away with an experience to share with family and friends for years to come.

Enjoy the pictures and know that I'm sorry that even the pictures can't convey the TRUE experience of our day.

Happy Holidays!
G

Elisa (our stage manager) and Graham (our esteemed director) all dressed up at 6:30am the day of the White House appearance.

Roe and Rachel in the back of the van on our way to the White House.

Scenes from our drive to the White House.

Top L & R: The security stops to get in the gates. Bottom: Finally going through the gates.

Our first real glimpse of the White House close up!

Charlie and Wonka decided to test the facilities at the White House.

Top L: Rachel, Elisa and Eric showing our security badges. Top R: Graham and Eric relax, as our early morning departure starts to catch up to them. Bottom: Steve and Jeffrey strike a pose in our first of many holding rooms.

A vase of tulips, just ASKING for a color accent treatment.

Christmas decorations all along our walk to our NEXT holding room...aka our dressing room.

Eric and I celebrate being in the same dressing room AND on the same stage as the Jersey Boys!

Everyone heading up to The East Room for our rehearsal and sound check.

Our first few minutes in the East Room. The LARGE picture of George Washington is the picture famous for being saved by Dolly Madison when there was a fire in the White House. Steve strikes his best imitation of the pose.

WHERE will the President sit? I FOUND IT!!

There is the bench - and I'm on the stage. SOOOOO...not too far away.

A collection of pictures showing the Christmas Decorations in the East Room of the White House. They have all been color accented. And i'm ok with that.

Me in an ornament. ART, people.

Eric and Roe both try their hand at being Commander in Chief.

L: Looking at ALL the activity in the East Room from one end of the room. R: One of my FAVORITE pictures I took all day. Eric and Roe's faces REALLY convey what we were ALL feeling.

My OTHER favorite picture from the day. Graham in the middle of the room, taking it all in after our rehearsal and sound check.

A couple more shots of the activity and look of the East Room. The 2nd picture checks out the decorations in the hallway leading in to the East Room.

Um....cool light, right? East Room of the White House.

Looking out the Green Room towards the Jefferson Memorial. NEVER looked this direction before.

So our green room was THE Green Room. How's THAT for perfect?

Top L: Christmas Tree in the Blue Room. (This is where we had our cast picture with the President and First Lady.) Top R: Roe and Eric share a bench as we wait to go on for our rehearsal in the Green Room. Bottom: Eric and Roe waiting to enter the East Room.

Everyone sitting and waiting in our holding/dressing room before the show...ready to ROLL!

The cast before the show - with our emcee for the day, Harrison Chad. (Seen on Broadway in 'Caroline or Change', and 'Beauty and the Beast' - as well as 'Mame' at the Kennedy Center this summer. VERY nice kid. And oh so talented.)

THE SUITS! Front L-R: Harrison, Darryl Ayers (Kennedy Center VP of Education), Graham Whitehead (Director). Back L-R: Elissa Rupert, Kim Peter Kovac (Director - Theater for Young Audiences Program)

The ladies waiting to leave the White House after our show.

A cool hall in the White House. Me likey.

I just wanted a shot of the Reindeer topiary. Everyone else wanted Hillary.

And then it was over....and we were on our way back OUT of the White House.

A Nutcracker outside the East Wing says good-bye to our group.

Elvis has left the building....and Jeffrey....and Steve...and Rachel....

'And God bless us, everyone!' exclaims Tara.

One last look at the entire group before we drove OUT of the gates.

Our view as we said GOOD-BYE through the van windows!