A special note to all of blog readers and fans. You guys have been great to come to the stage door and visit! Thanks for all the goodies and kind words. Particularly I'd like to thank the Witches of Oz creators Aundrea and Adam. They are providing a great forum for Wicked fans to gravitate. And my interview is going to posted on their site soon.
One of the things they did ask me was "What is appropriate fan etiquette in terms of meeting cast members?" I thought this was a great question and one that I thought I'd answer here too. So here are some guidelines for meeting us.
First and foremost remember that we are people...just people. We are not the roles we play on stage. We are real people who of course appreciate kind words, but also very much appreciate our privacy and maintaining a distance from strangers.
When you're at the stage door, it is totally appropriate to ask for an autograph and even sometimes a photo. But ALWAYS ASK! Most of us are more than happy to sign things and pose for shots. We are not so happy about someone randomly clicking off the flash for 10 minutes while we sign autographs. Asking for a photo at the stage door is perfectly fine. Photographing any part of our private life including our animals, our families, etc is NOT appropriate, particularly if we then find it posted on a website.
As for gifts. It is very kind of you to use your time and money to make us things. However, we often feel badly because a lot of the stuff either doesn't reach us, or we feel badly that you've spent so much money on something for us when you don't even know us personally. I can't speak for everyone, but I would rather get a nice letter from you than a bag of chocolates. Or even better, simply email me through this blog. I try to write back to everyone who writes me.
And finally, always know that we appreciate your support and energy, but we ask that you keep everything in perspective. We are simply people who have chosen to be on stage, in front of the public eye, but we also value our privacy greatly. I hope this info is helpful.
As for happenings....Wicked's in Dallas...a perfect spot for two-steppin' which we did Sunday night. Also, this theatre and the folks who run it are so wonderful and supportive. We had a fabulous opening night party at a beautiful home on a lake...just delightful! We also said goodbye to our precious Sunny Yokoyama. She is a bright spot in our cast and will be missed greatly. Other cast changes are coming up. Those of you who are fans of Josh Lamon, be sure to catch him before he leaves June 3. In a long running show like this people come and go and it's often like losing a family member. But they all go off to do other wonderful and delightful things!!!!
