DRIP’s Final Show on International Drive

Saturday, January 27th was DRIP’s final show on International Drive. As we look ahead and focus on new projects I can’t help but see how far we have already come. We spent five years creating a stunning show and forging unique friendships. Our last show was full of amazing people who helped us materialize this colorful dream. I can’t wait to see where we go from here.

Stephanie, playing Yellow, setting up the jean drops.

Sam, playing Red, mixing paint.

Mariko, playing Blue, putting some finishing touches on the paint shower.

The Paint Station.

The beautiful mess that comes from mixing the colors before the show.

Catching Mariko while she gets ready. 

Myself with Mandy and Megan, who multitask as crew and bartenders.

Chris the drummer.

Myself with Lou the bass player and Sarah the bartender.

The cast list for the final show.

My “before” picture.

Doug, DRIP’s biggest fan, made it to the show from out of town and surprised me with flowers!

Doug waiting with crew member Kam in the hallway before the start of the show. 

Current and former cast members Justin, Amber, David, Mandy, and Sarah eagerly watching the show.

Yellow’s entrance during Exchange.

The Band.

Lou.

Yellow’s big moment.

Doug’s lovely speech to Mariko.

Lou, myself, original cast member Jessie, and guitarist Micah factiming Jessie’s boyfriend Dakota.

Jessie and Justin.

Enthusiastic guests dancing on the Paint Sation.

Mariko and Justin F. dancing in the Paint Shower.

My “after” picture.

Me and Justin.

Mariko and Mandy creating a custom DRIP shirt.

Jessie and myself, 3:00am after party at Denny’s.

Justin.

The Dark Art Experience

DRIP hosted a Dark Art event featuring unusual and spooky art for the Halloween season. 

Some of the highlights included John, an artist and designer who frequently collaborates with DRIP. Here he is with one of the three squirrels he rehabilitated after hurricane Irma.

Ashlyn, John’s daughter, dancing with hoops. 

This unique and talented family was defiantly a stand out at the Dark Art Experience.

DRIP's 500th Show

On Saturday, August 26th 2017 DRIP celebrated its 500th show. Long time cast member Jessie Sander was honored that night for moving from a dancer role into a director position within the company. Jessie, who had originally started as an understudy, quickly became an all-star performing all the roles in the show. She was most known for playing Yellow. 

Wall of Paint

Amber, a crew member at DRIP, getting ready to tackle the wall of paint after the show. 

Seeping Blue

A spill on the floor at DRIP. Surprisingly, the blue and white did not mix but rather flowed and crossed in subtly bleeding currents.

DRIP Sink

This is a small glimpse of the clean up that takes place at DRIP. A lovely reminder that a mess can be beautiful. 

Galaxy in Glitter

For one event at DRIP we unleashed massive quantities of glitter. It mixed with the colored sand that we use everyday and was impossible to separate. It became one of those "happy accidents" that manages to be absolutely mesmerizing. 

Chromatic Crew

DRIP is an amazing experience and we put on a breathtaking show. I am so lucky to work with a phenomenal crew who keeps the show running smoothly behind the scenes. However, because we are behind the scenes most people don't get to see how much effort it takes to keep such a unique show growing or how much fun the development can be. Here is a little glimpse into the process and the one-of-a-kind people who make it happen. 

Justin mixing the paint and checking the consistency before the performance. 

Ashlyn testing out a new system for our chandeliers.

DRIP's One Year Anniversary

On Saturday, November 16th DRIP celebrated one year of being open on International Drive in Orlando Florida. It was a night to honor our success as well as our family of supporters. Past and present cast members could all be seen side by side in a delightful reunion. It was beautifully overwhelming to be surrounded by so much love and creativity. 

Tinkerbelle has been with the show since before we opened our doors and she was instrumental in coming up with the shows lighting design. Dimitri originally came to the show as a guest in March. He loved the show so much that he saw it multiple times and asked if he could work with us. For the past year I have worked with Tink and Dimitri the closest and they have become good friends as well as an adorable couple. Tink received her first tattoo on the day of our anniversary. It matched Dimitri's and highlights their love of the Harry Potter series. 

After the show the band was planning on moving into the bar area to perform more songs and keep the party going. We had a singer joining us for the event but David, our musical director, asked the cast and crew if they wanted to sing any songs. Tink, pictured above with the band, practices her performance of Ylvis's viral hit "What Does The Fox Say?"

I also got the chance to sing. I performed "I Hate Myself For Loving You" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. My best friend Matt was en route to the show when I was called up to the stage. I began singing and was overwhelmed by the support and enthusiasm from my fellow cast members, most of whom had no idea that I could sing. It was my first time singing in front of an audience and there I was with a full band behind me and 130 guests watching. I had a blast doing it! It is something that I wish I did more often and I was truly grateful for the experience. 

Just as I began the second verse Matt rushed in through the door waving his hands. Our eyes meet and I smiled. I was so happy that he made it in the nick of time. 

After I got off stage we embraced and he smiled "I had no idea you could do that!" I was so overjoyed to have him there with me that night. 

This is one of my favorite photos from that night. Mariko, our CEO and Creative Director, decided to surprise us with framed posters that said "Original Cast and Crew". From left to right: Jessie Sander, our principal dancer who has also done a considerable amount of production work with us as well, Mariko, Tink, and myself. The four of us have been a solid team long before we opened the doors.

This past year has certainly been one of the most rewarding years of my life. Looking back it is amazing to see how far we have come and how hard we all strived. I could not imaging working with better group of people. I know in my heart that we have become an unstoppable force and that this was only the beginning.

The T-shirt Workshop

Part of the experience of coming to a DRIP show is getting your t-shirt cut by one of our designers. Recently, our Creative Director decided that it would be beneficial for our other staff member to learn some of the basics. We gathered any old clothing to practice on and we met for the workshop. 

The following photos are the result of our creative experiments running wild. 

This is Kirby, one of the guitarists for the show. He is modeling a shirt that I got carried away with.  The words on the shirt read "Who needs Photoshop when you have a body like this." 

Kirby and one of our crew members Dimitri - joyfully playing with the newly cut fringe on their shirts. 

Jessie, one of our principal dancers, modeling a very official "Sacurrity" t-shirt with a twisted waistband and one missing sleeve. 

Musical Director David modeling some of the left over sleeves while guitarist Steve contemplates his next design. 

Crew member Ashlyn works diligently while Dimitri models his mask. 

I cherish this silly days of child-like silliness and creativity. We grow so much when we allow ourselves to play.