Performing pregnant: A peek behind the puppet stage

We arrive at the venue and I’m already out of breath. We took the subway into Manhattan for the show—Chad is carrying almost all of the weight—the stage and the audio equipment, I have the small suitcase of puppets. When we get to the door it looks like we’ll have to take the stairs. “Ok, here we go,” I think and pump myself up. In NYC, you never can guess just how many stairs there will be if you can’t see your destination.

Luckily it’s only on the second floor, and we arrive. It’s a preschool that’s being used for a 4-year-old’sbirthday party this weekend. The mom sees us and is relieved—this always happens. The kids aren’t there yet, but she is definitely in “Go” mode and running around finishing everything before the little ones arrive. We are directed where to setup our stage—a nice open area up against a wall. Perfect. I look around for a little ledge or bench to set the stage on—no luck