Springtime for Hitler

So, I'm back in Missoula this week, we had no bookings, and as some of you may have guessed from my title, I've become involved in a production of The Producers.
As much as I love working King Arthur's Quest, (and I mean that without irony) it is nice to be working on a "grown-up" play. One of their running crew techs came down with a nasty case of pneumonia and I got called in to be her substitute.
It has been great. I've had a chance to actually talk to and meet people roughly my own age as opposed to significantly younger or significantly older. I feel like my batteries are really recharged for these last two weeks of tour.
The people backstage keep thanking me for my work. They don't realize that this is not work in my book. I'm not managing several dozen children, I don't have an enormous amount of responsibility that I share with one other person. I dress in black and push scenery around while getting to watch a rather good production of The Producers every night. And my time spent as a techie is time spent not building script boxes.
One thing that both this week and Vancouver have driven home for me is that traveling completely alone is a lot less fun than even one more person. Strangers don't want to have much to do with a lone person. A lone person looks sketchy. So being alone is inherently isolating, which sucks, because the lone person needs to break the isolation the most.
That's why I've loved being on the show. I get to socialize for once. I'm new, but I'm not alone. My presence is understood and known and, best of all, appreciated. All in all a good week. I'm kind of sorry to be leaving Missoula behind, as I've run into a bunch of people that in another situation I'd like to get the chance to spend more time with.
Well, that's really all there is. My air mattress is inflated, and the alarms are set. Time to go to bed. I think the girl I replaced is better, so maybe I'll just watch the show tomorrow.