Cluster ballooning?

Apparently, Jerry Gorman is an athlete.

Cluster ballooning is evidently a sport -- and all the rage among a small cult following, it seems.

CNet News reporter Daniel Terdiman gave it a shot as part of a promotion for Pixar's new film Up, only his vehicle of choice was an armchair, not a lawnchair. I feel like that would really just add extra weight to have to lift, but I guess it's a little more stable-feeling than a lawnchair.

(Photo Credit: Raquel Baldwin ... blatantly borrowed from news.cnet.com)

For those who have been living under a rock, CCT/2FT's Flight of the Lawnchair Man opens this Friday, May 29th (that's tomorrow, guys), and the writers of the show are flying in (presumably on planes, though, not chairs) for a special opening night Q&A after the show.

Opening night of Lawnchair Man is also opening night for the new Pixar film Up, about a crotchety old man who manages to cluster-balloon his house out of his neighborhood. But don't go see Up on Friday, come see Lawnchair.

Although it's only fair to note that Lawnchair is rated PG-13 for some adult situations, so if you've got really little kids, make the babysitter take them to see Up and come see Lawnchair yourselves!

Happy 50th post, CCT2FT Blog!

I think it's only fitting that my 50th post be this:

Michael Schaaff is a genius.

I am not yet allowed to say why or how, but let it be known that he is a genius, and that his genius involves Legos and Gaff tape.

Are you curious yet?

It's not actually Thursday.

I woke up this morning convinced that it was Thursday. Imagine my dismay when Kevin informed that it was actually Tuesday.


That's okay, though. Coffee makes it all better.


So I found out like 2 days ago, which is why this is just now being announced here, taht we are actually hosting Peter Ullian and Robert Lindsey-Nassif on opening night of Dude with Balloons (I hope they don't mind that I'm calling it that ... cuz I'm not gonna stop). What's that? Who are Petter Ullian and Robert Lindsey-Nassif? Geez, don't you people pay attention when I blog? I mean, I only mentioned it in December, that's only four and a half months ago. Eesh.


Okay, sorry. I'm trying to make this post long enough to be worthwhile, so I'm having to use some filler. Like "I like coffee" and "Why don't you remember every word I've ever typed?"


Ullian and Lindsey-Nassif are the lyricist and composer, respectively, of Dude with Balloons. I'm not 100% sure of the details, but apparently director Randy Jones has been in contact with them via email, and sort of casually mentioned "Hey, you guys should come see the show." And they were like, "Okay, why not?" Which is kind of a big deal. Having the guys who wrote the show here, that is. One of them is coming in from New York (I think) and one from Illinois (I think ... it's a state that starts with an "I", anyway, and is not near Virginia).


We'll be doing a Q&A with them on opening night, so oepning night would be a good night to come see the show ... get your tickets in advance or we may run out!


Also, we have a video for FOTLM. Behold. (I tried to imbed the video in the post, but Blogger's being a brat and not letting me. Sorry guys.)

In closing, I will leave you with this random factoid: In the past week, I have managed to cut myself twice on things that should not cut a person. Last Monday, I sliced my finger on a wine bottle opener -- not on the sharp corkscrew part, though, but on the little metal thingie that you put against the top of the bottle for leverage to get the cork out. It's not even sharp! I have no idea how I managed to slice my finger open on it. And then last night, I cut another finger on a piece of aluminum foil. Foil! Who does that?

New Interview, some backstory, and some really delicious chicken

Sorry for the late update (Michael) ... it's been one of those weeks where logging out of my personal blogger account has just seemed like so much effort. I've been very busy this week with non-theatre things, like shopping for clothes (I think I fixed our economy last night, BTW, if the number on that Banana Republic receipt is any indication) and cooking (see recipe below).


First on the agenda -- some backstory on the real Dude(s) with Balloons. A lot of people ask us what, exactly, Flight of the Lawnchair Man is about. Well, now you know, and knowing is half the battle (G.I. Joe!).


Next up, an interview!


NAME: Josh Doyle (Erin says: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that, while I have not actually met Josh and thus am not entirely sure which person he is in this picture, that he is not the girl or the dog.)
ROLE: Charles Lindbergh

What is your favorite role/show worked on to date? (Just one!) Hmmm. I can’t choose, so I’ll put one word or so of the titles of my favorite shows into the title of a brand new show. That would be How to Invent a Blood Honk Tick. It’s a really gross show. (Erin says: I'm intrigued, Josh. What is the plot of this show? What is the cast size and makeup? When will rights be available?)

If you could do only one show ever again, what would it be? Glengarry Glen Ross. I love it! Someday …

What are your favorite pizza toppings? Pepperoni, olives, onions and crushed red pepper (Erin says: Those are some of my favorites tooooooooooo!!!! Crushed red pepper, mmmmm ... now I want pizza.). Check out the Firecracker at Fireworks in Leesburg.

A or B? B, I don’t know why, but it’s always the way it’s been.

If you had your pick, which of Shakespeare’s characters would you be most attracted to, if he/she was a real person? I would pick the typical answer and say Juliet, but she’s like 14 and that’s creepy. So it would have to be Miranda in The Tempest. Those island chicks are hot!

And finally, I have a recipe I would like to share with all of you for really delicious, good-for-you chicken.

Mix 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a dash each of salt and pepper, and about a teaspoon of freshly chopped rosemary, and brush it over chicken (I got 3 chicken breasts out of this recipe). Slap the chicken on the grill (or bake it, or whatever -- I used my Foreman). While it cooks, mix 3 tablespoons of whole-grain mustard with 3 tablespoons of lite mayo, and add just a touch of water to make a sauce. When the chicken is done, top it with the sauce and enjoy. DELICIOUS. Serve it with a salad or some roasted broccoli or asparagus.

I realize that chicken has nothing to do with theatre, but for all you cast members who are living off of Wendy's before rehearsal, this takes 15 minutes and is way better for you. For you theatre-goers who want to go out to dinner before the show but are trying to save money (although, remember, I fixed the economy!), put some candles on the table and serve this instead -- it's healthy, and a whole lot cheaper, and you won't have to worry about the leftovers making your car smells like stale fries and barbeque sauce while you're at the show.

See how I tied that all together? I'm awesome.