Avery Coonley School, Downers Grove IL

You know, even though it's fun and exciting on the road...sometimes it's great to be home. That's what I was thinking as I left home this morning for the Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove IL. Now the construction on I-88 and I-355 is done, getting there was a breeze- in spite of the snow shower that hit while I was making my way down Maple Av. (no pictures of that- BOTH hands were FIRMLY on the steering wheel)...but I digress. :-)

The Avery Coonley School is a private, co-educational school for gifted children in grades K-8. It's secluded setting provides a unique learning experience for for everyone who calls Avery Coonley home. And, the buildings that the school calls home are also on the National Register of Historic Places!

So this was where I found myself on this suddenly snowy morning, offloading through the stage door. Yep, had to deal with a few steps here...but when I got inside, wow was it worth it- what a space! We were showing in the Theatre, which because of it's size would only allow us to do a 2-screen show. This is not normal for us, but we do it when we have to as we don't want to deny anyone the opportunity to experience the impact of our shows. I had 2 great members of the school's Janitorial staff helping me with setup- which we accomplished in under an hour! If I do say so myself, I don't think I have done a better 2-screen setup yet- it looked stunning. And the important thing...our customer agreed. :-)

We did 2 shows...Attitude of Gratitude for the K-4, and Fearless for 5-8. This was the first time I have shown Fearless to 5th graders- we did have considerable discussion about this, and in the end the school staff felt that the kids could handle it...and I think they did.

When I learned about what type of school Avery Coonley was, I was a little unsure about what the kids would be like, and what it would like to be around them. You know what? They're just like any other kids...they just have a higher appitite for learning, that's all. This show was a bit of a challenge- it was a unique setup ,and while I was a little fearful at first...when it came off well it was worth every moment. Of course, things like the little girl who came up to me after the first show and simply said "Thank you, I really enjoyed it!" didn't hurt either. :-) And I had a GREAT takedown crew- a good bunch of guys to work with.

After all was said (and shown) we loaded back up, and I headed for Panera Bread on Butterfield Rd to meet my friend Dan for lunch- nothing like a good bread bowl of Chicken Noodle soup to warm the heart on a cold day. :-)

Next stop...Forrest IL!