Studio Theatre just announced the third and final extension of Amy Herzog’s Pulitzer-finalist play 4000 Miles. Actor Grant Harrison, who plays the lead character Leo, has been in DC since mid-February, and took some time with Literary Director Adrien-Alice Hansel to reflect on his journey exploring and performing at Studio.

Adrien-Alice: You started rehearsals on February 18. Coming into this process, what did you think would be the toughest part of this play?  Where you right? How did that play out?

Grant: Initially I thought the hardest part of 4000 Miles would be memorizing the lines and doing this great play justice. When I was sitting down with the script and studying it, I just kept thinking "how the hell am I going to be able to do this?” But I've learned that that's exactly where I want to be as an artist, taking on projects that are challenging me, working on great material and with collaborators who open you up and enable you to grow through the work, thereby also as a person. I was wrong about the lines and doing the play justice, with a captain like Joy, putting the play together was pretty easy because she challenged us with all these ideas, insightful interplay and business onstage which at first are really difficult to learn (all at once) but then once you find the rhythm, the play becomes easy and fun. The hardest part then became having to eat 2 Danishes a day (and on two show days 4 Danishes a day!!!) for three months straight, in scene 2. If Joy had mentioned the "Danish equation" at the audition, I just may not have accepted this role...

AH: What’s been the biggest surprise of the play?

GH: The biggest surprise is the incredible contrast of comedy/tragedy. I don't think, upon reading it, I really understood the distinct contrast within the piece, and how (which is something that really interests me as a performer) the audience can be hysterical at one moment and then an instant later, the moment switches and everyone is really taken aback. For example, the way Leo yells at Vera or in scene 6 when the interplay between Leo and Amanda is flirtatious and fun and you think it’s really going to happen between these two, but it shifts on a dime and the fun, spontaneous atmosphere is totally shot down and these two people are repelled from one another, I think that's one of my favorite moments of the play because it’s so real, so life-like and also so theatrical. When performing it, you can feel the audience having almost no idea what will come next, that's very exciting for me as an actor.

AH: What would you say is the moment or aspect of the play that has changed the most since your first preview performance of 4000 Miles?

GH: I think the whole play has changed quite a bit since the first preview. At the beginning you're just sort of feeling what it’s like to share this piece of insular art that has been contained in a rehearsal setting and you're not used to other bodies in the room...which is the final and most essential ingredient. I think at the beginning you're trying to get it "right" and that's never too much fun, so there is a lot of stress involved...then, hopefully you relax into it and it begins to breathe. I'll try to articulate this, at the beginning you're kind of playing the center-point of a line of the character, but a character like Leo has a very long line, where at one end he's really funny and playful and then at the polar opposite end he's very sad, confused and grief-stricken. As the run goes on, you're able to play the gamut of this line, rather than just playing the "center-point" of it, which is kind of who you think this person is before performance. Did that make sense?

AH: Of course it does—I think you're tremendously articulate about the art of living into a character. What do you do with your days, now that you’re in performances? Do you have a favorite DC spot?

GH: I've been reading a lot and catching up on books I'd been meaning to get to but hadn't. Below is a list of my favorite local DC spots.
1.    Dupont Circle, sun-shining, book in hand.
2.    The balcony of my apartment, guitar in hand.

3.    The Whole Foods world food buffet (what a spread!)

AH: Do you know what’s next for you, after Studio? (Don’t leave us, Grant!!!)

GH: There are a few things that I may do after 4000 Miles, but it will be really hard to leave this play, this city, and Leo. It's definitely going to take some time. I was cast in a mockumentary called BadPuss, it will be the directorial debut of Emily Wiest (Dianne Wiest's daughter). Dianne was the casting director and it's kind of a Spinal Tap meets Spice Girls kind of mash up... look out for it.

Artistic Team

Joy Zinoman (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director at The Studio Theatre, where she directed more than 70 productions before retiring in 2010.  In her 35 years at Studio, she led the theatre through 200 productions, which garnered 250 Helen Hayes nominations and many awards.  She received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction for A Number by Caryl Churchill and Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard, and was nominated for the award nine times.  Earlier this season, Ms. Zinoman directed Sounding Beckett at Classic Stage Company in New York City.  Her last plays at The Studio Theatre included American Buffalo by David Mamet, Moonlight by Harold Pinter, The History Boys by Alan Bennett, Shining City by Conor McPherson, Rock ‘n’ Roll by Tom Stoppard, The Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard, and The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh.  A pioneer in the development of this neighborhood, her numerous honors include The Washington Post Award for Innovative Leadership in the Theatre Community, the Mayor’s Art Award for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline, and the Washingtonian of the Year Award.  She is also a Master Teacher and Director of Curriculum at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory, which she founded in 1975.

Russell Metheny (Set Design) has designed more than 50 productions at The Studio Theatre over the past thirty-five years. Some of his Studio Theatre designs include Superior Donuts, American Buffalo, Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Seafarer, Grey Gardens, The History Boys, Shining City, Ivanov, Topdog/Underdog, The York Realist, A Class Act, The Play About the Baby, The Invention of Love, Indian Ink, bash, Far East, The Three Sisters, and The Slab Boys Trilogy. His regional credits include productions at Indiana Repertory Theatre, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, The Old Globe, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Missouri Repertory Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Goodman Theatre, Portland Stage Company, and Weston Playhouse. Recent productions include A Little Night Music, Blithe Spirit, The House That Jack Built, 1776, My Fair Lady, Jekyll and Hyde, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Upcoming productions include Philadelphia, Here I Come! for Asolo Repertory Theatre and 1776 for American Contemporary Theatre in San Francisco, both with director Frank Galati.  

Daniel MacLean Wagner (Lighting Design) is pleased to return to Studio Theatre, where he served as Resident Lighting Designer from 1984-1997, designing more than 50 productions.  He has designed more than 400 productions at many theatres including Arden Theatre Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Portland Stage Company, Arena Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre, The John F. Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theatre of the First Amendment, Horizons Theatre, Potomac Theatre Project, The Rep Stage, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Olney Theatre Center. He is an eight-time recipient of the Helen Hayes Award, for which he has received 28 nominations.  His recent designs include Glengarry Glen Ross at Round House Theatre and Our Class at Theater J. Mr. Wagner is a member of the Artists Roundtable at Round House Theatre and is Resident Lighting Designer at Olney Theatre Center. Mr. Wagner served as the Director of School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park from 2001-2012, where he remains a Professor of Lighting Design.  

 Helen Huang (Costume Design)  has collaborated with Ms. Zinoman on almost 30 productions. Her design work has been seen locally at Classic Stage Company, The Washington Ballet, Ford’s Theatre,  Folger Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Company,  Arena Stage,  and Signature Theatre Company.  She has also designed costumes for the Guthrie Theater,  Oregon Shakespeare Festival,  The Children’s Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre,  Philadelphia Theatre Company,  Utah Shakespearean Festival, Disney Entertainment,  Syracuse Stage,  PlayMakers Repertory Company, and Boston Lyric Opera. Her international work includes set and costume design at National Opera House of China and the Central Television of China. She has received a Helen Hayes Award and an Ivey Award. Her costume designs have been featured at the Prague Quadrennial and in the exhibition “Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance” at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Ms. Huang served as an expert judge at the Figurative Design Training Consortium in Beijing and is a professor of MFA Costume Design at University of Maryland, College Park. 

Lindsay Jones (Original Music and Sound Design) is pleased to return to Studio Theatre, where he also designed sound for Sucker Punch. His Off Broadway credits include Mr. Joy at LCT3, Rx at Primary Stages, Through the Night at Union Square Theatre, Wild With Happy at the Public Theater, The Burnt Part Boys at Playwrights Horizons, and Top Secret at New York Theatre Workshop, among many others. His regional credits include shows at the Guthrie Theatre, Centerstage, GoodmanTheatre, Alley Theatre, Arena Stage, The Old Globe, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and many others. Internationally, Mr. Jones has worked at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada and the Royal Shakespeare Company in England, as well as on productions in Austria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Scotland. Mr. Jones has received six Joseph Jefferson Awards and 16 nominations, two Ovation Awards and three nominations, an LA Drama Critics Circle Award, and two Drama Desk Award nominations. His original film scoring includes HBO Films’ A Note Of Triumph (2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary) and The Brass Teapot for Magnolia Pictures.

 

Cast

Annie Chang (Amanda) has been seen internationally in the world premiere of Wild Swans at the American Repertory Theatre and the Young Vic (London). Her other credits include The Burkinis at the Abingdon Theatre, Decade in the Harold Clurman Series at The Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Romeo and Juliet at the Camino Real Playhouse, and T.A.B. at Manhattan Theatre Rep. Ms. Chang’s television credits include The Carrie Diaries, The Following, White Collar, One Life to Live, and Girlhattan. 

Heather Haney (Rebecca)  is delighted to make her Studio Theatre debut.  Her other local credits include Our Class and The Moscows of Nantucket at Theater J; Pride and Prejudice at Round House Theatre; The Bacchae, Mary Stuart, Caligula, and Hedda Gabler at WSC AvantBard, where she is an Acting Company member; The Ramayana, On The Razzle, A Flea in Her Ear, and Temptation at Constellation Theatre Company, where she is an Associate Artist; Goldfish Thinking, Cat’s Cradle, Artist Descending a Staircase and The Oogatz Man at Longacre Lea, where she is a Company member; The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at Forum Theatre; and Much Ado about Nothing at The Shakespeare Theatre Company. Ms. Haney will make her television debut in a featured role on HBO’s VEEP this spring. She holds a BA in Drama and Dance from Ithaca College.  

Grant Harrison (Leo)  is making his Studio Theatre debut.  Mr. Harrison’s recent New York credits include JOB, The Flying Latke, and the five-hour Sophocles marathon These Seven Sicknesses (Drama Desk nominated), at The Flea Theater. He also recently appeared in the EST/Youngblood production of Chiara Atik’s The Secret Catcher at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Mr. Harrison appeared in the serialized plays The Escape, The Rump Of Folly, Sealand, The True Drug Stories of Jim Simpson, and At The Mall as a part of the late-night competition #Serials @ The Flea. He is a proud mentor/volunteer at the 52^nd Street Project and an alumnus of The Flea Theater’s resident acting company The Bats. Mr. Harrison holds a BA in Theater from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.

Tana Hicken (Vera)  has appeared at The Studio Theatre as Helen Martins in The Road to Mecca and Mrs. Lintott in The History Boys.  Ms. Hicken was a member of the Arena Stage Resident Acting Company for 14 seasons where her roles included: Mary Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Nora in The Wild Duck, Mrs. Alving in Ghosts, and Madame Arcadi in Blithe Spirit.  Locally, she has been seen at Centerstage, Everyman Theatre, Round House Theatre, Rep Stage, and The Shakespeare Theatre Company. She has also performed at The Berkshire Theatre Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Denver Center Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Hartford Stage Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Kenyon Festival Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Stage West, and The Stratford Festival in Canada.  Ms. Hicken has received two Helen Hayes Awards.

 

About the Playwright

 

Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles premiered as part of Lincoln Center Theater’s new works initiative LCT3 in 2011 and became the first play from LCT3 to graduate to a full Off-Broadway run at Lincoln Center Theater. The production received an OBIE Award for Best New American Play. Her other plays include Belleville (Yale Repertory Theatre, upcoming at Steppenwolf and New York Theatre Workshop), After the Revolution (Williamstown, Playwrights Horizons; John Gassner Award Nomination), The Wendy Play (ACT, San Francisco), and Hungry (Ensemble Studio Theater). Ms. Herzog is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Whiting Writers’ Award.

Synopsis

21-year-old Leo arrives unannounced at the Greenwich Village apartment of his 91-year-old Jewish leftist grandmother Vera. As an overnight couch-surf turns into an extended stay, 4000 Miles unearths a surprising commonality between these two generations in this emotionally compelling drama.

From one of America’s brightest playwrights, this compassionate and unsentimental play explores the funny, frustrating, and ultimately life-changing relationship between a grandson learning to face his life and a grandmother who is starting to forget hers.

---

Vera Joseph is a character in two of Amy Herzog’s plays. After the Revolution is set in 1999, and introduces Vera as the recent widow of Joe, the celebrated patriarch of a Marxist family. In the play, Vera’s granddaughter Emma has just learned that Joe spied for the Russians during WWII, which throws Emma’s moral and political center into question. Vera defends her husband’s decisions as Emma wrestles with how to make sense of this new information in light of her lionized view of her grandfather.

While Vera only appears in three scenes of After the Revolution, she takes center stage in 4000 Miles. Set about ten years later, Vera is now 91 and still living in the West Village apartment she shared with her late husband; his name is still on the buzzer. This is the first thing her 21-year old grandson Leo mentions when he shows up unexpectedly at the apartment in the middle of the night. The play explores the relationship between the two, who are separated by 70 years but united by their playfulness and occasionally abrasive compulsion towards honesty.

Herzog’s inspiration for Vera is her grandmother, Leepee Joseph, who made a brief appearance under her own name in one of Herzog’s solo pieces. Joseph is now 95 and lives in the West Village; Herzog describes her as “funny, dry, sassy, and devastating.” Joseph is a long-time member of the Greenwich Village Society for Peaceful Priorities. She has supported countless radical causes—including campaigning for founding feminist Bella Abzug’s congressional runs, and more recently the Occupy Wall Street movement. She also has her own connections to the stage, having worked in the theatre section of the Works Progress Administration, as well as for Cheryl Crawford, a co-founder of The Group Theatre.

Herzog and Joseph lived together for six months after Herzog graduated from college, an experience that was formative for the writer, but not entirely smooth sailing. “She isn't very grandmotherly, despite being extremely affectionate,” Herzog says of Joseph. “She doesn't assume that grandmotherly posture of sweetness and deference and distance with younger people. She just gets in the ring and engages with you, which can be wonderful and can be hard. I encountered what it’s like to be her roommate; we got in some fights, which I now think is completely remarkable. I worked through fights with my grandmother. Very few people can say that.”

Herzog and her grandmother share a mix of inquiry, generosity, and clear-eyed honesty, attributes that are richly apparent in Vera Joseph and the rest of Herzog’s characters. Will Vera make it into a third play? Herzog has begun thinking about a final play that will feature the fictional Joseph clan, although neither the plot nor cast list has taken shape yet. It probably won’t deal explicitly with plot points from either of the other Joseph plays, but is likely to pick up on the emotional complexities of the Joseph family and their intersecting legacies. “I don’t know anyone who is present and thoughtful going through their whole lives,” Herzog observes. “The things that we inherit from our families are the things that we really question.”

—Adrien-Alice Hansel

---

In Her Own Words: Amy Herzog on 4000 Miles

4000 Miles is about a young man who stays with his grandmother in Greenwich Village for a few weeks following a crisis. She’s an old communist, he’s a belated hippie, and they’re both dealing with grief and figuring out how to be roommates. It’s my second play about this character Vera, an old New York lefty based on my grandmother, Leepee. Leepee is funny, dry, sassy, and devastating at ninety-three. I try to do her justice.

I have a cousin who lives a kind of transcendentalist, hippie kind of life. And he lost a friend about two summers ago, actually in a rafting accident. I really adore this cousin, and I was thinking about this experience that he was going through—of being so young and suffering such a major loss. And I was also interested in just the way he's chosen to live his life kind of outside the mainstream. My grandmother has this very New York, older person's existence that I'm also really interested in. We're very close. So starting with those two characters I invented this play, which was not at all based on any events or anything like that, but it was inspired by those two people.

I did feel very strongly about writing an older character with the dimensions that I observed in my grandmother, because I think there's a way that older people can just disappear. I feel my own grandmother's fight to remain present and relevant in a very pronounced way.

The play takes place in New York City because it's where Vera lives, but I was also interested in what that environment means to Leo, outdoorsman and latter-day transcendentalist that he is. I biked across the country the summer after I graduated from college, and almost immediately thereafter moved to New York to embark on adult life. It was a rude awakening in ways I didn't recognize at the time...I had been traveling across these expansive, gorgeous, lonely landscapes for two months, sometimes covering upwards of 70 miles without seeing a town, and urban life was a difficult adjustment. I missed the simplicity of life on the road and the feeling of accomplishment that came at the end of every day. For Leo, who has no plans beyond making his way to the Atlantic, and who has just suffered a devastating loss, the city must be even more disorienting. He navigated his way here from Seattle but he doesn't know which direction his grandmother's windows face.

---

Although he isn’t a designer on the show, Mike Donohue, Studio Theatre’s Technical Director, is responsible for creating the set design. He talks with Resident Assistant Director Christopher Mirto about his unique position as a member of the 4000 Miles production team.  

What is your role here at Studio?  
Technical Director

What are your responsibilities on 4000 Miles?
I oversee the planning, scheduling, budget management, building, and installation of all scenic elements.  You can image what would happen if I didn't do it.

What is it like working with Russell Metheny?
I love it! Working with Russell particularly is really easy because there’s not playing catch up: he knows all the ins and outs of the spaces because he designed them. It makes my life pretty effortless because he is so attuned to the intricacies of each theatre. I’m really drawn to his personality. He’s really inspirational in  pitching in and doing little things, like painting a book case. He doesn’t have to paint the book case because we’re behind or not doing it right. He does it because he really likes the community and enjoys spending time with people. Not many designers are as generous and as hands-on as he is.

What’s the most notable piece of this set, from your point of view?
Every set seems to have at least one piece that presents a challenge and at the very least gives you a small run for your artistic money. Often times it will be the first and possibly last time you will ever build a scenic piece quite like it.  This particular set didn't have too many surprises or any moving parts.  But there is one piece in particular that I take great pride in—it's a piece that an audience member may not think twice about after seeing it, or even notice it altogether:  There is a small scenic wall stage left that acts as a masking wall for offstage.  This wall not only has abnormal angles, but is also curved to mimic turn-of-the-century craftsmanship.  The wall seems innocent enough, but actually ended up taking the better part of two days to construct.  I took the wall on myself so the rest of the shop could concentrate on the assembly line of wall construction they were already in the rhythm of.  The wall is constructed out of traditional theatrical flat material, but the curve is where the real magic happens.  The curve is made up of bendable plywood that ultimately took three people to bend and shape.  Sometimes it truly is the little things that make theatre a fascinating profession.

What are your interactions with the artists like?
Working with the artist on this production has been particularly special.  Not only am I working with the founder and co-founder of Studio, but also two designers, Dan and Helen, who go back to the theatre's original conception.  It’s hands-down the best design team I’ve ever worked with. Their experience makes it easy because their decisions are precise. Everything is already worked out—they take their work seriously, but not too seriously.

What kind of training do you have?
I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Theatre Production and Design.  After graduating, I worked in the architectural field for several years before returning to theatre.  I found myself in DC working at Arena Stage as scenic carpenter and now into my third season here at Studio.

How do you begin the process with each show?
Each production is introduced to the staff through a director and designer “show and tell.”  Here, the play is briefly dissected and all design concepts are revealed.  At this point, their concepts aren’t limited by budget or time restrictions, but that soon changes.  After receiving a set of drawings from the designer, I begin the process of going through each scenic piece with a fine tooth comb and estimate what each item will cost.  This can often be where a designer must make challenging compromises.  After some back and forth and creative editing, a final design is settled upon and the building can begin.

What’s one of your favorite theatrical moments here at Studio this season?
I remember losing hours of sleep each night over the light bulb ceiling in Invisible Man. When I finally saw the ceiling light up and fly up and down for the first time it was amazing. I would say that that show was the greatest technical accomplishment of the 2nd floor [where Studio’s shop is located] since I started working here.

 

---

 Brian Sink had been a runner, not a cyclist, when he first biked across the United States with “Bike the US for MS” in 2012. “I’ve driven across the country many times,” he wrote as he prepared for the first ride, “and I’ve often looked longingly at the roads, thinking it would be better riding a bike across them than driving them.” He completed that ride, and is back for more. Studio Theatre is partnering with Bike the US for MS as a part of our production of 4000 Miles.
 

Here are Brian’s thoughts as he prepares for another 4,000 miles on the road. For more information about the ride, or to support Bike the US for MS, please visit their site: http://www.biketheusforms.org/

We were told that it would be tough readjusting to real life again after the TransAm [2012 TransAmerican Bike Trip], and they were right. In 2012, when we had hard, hot days in Kansas, the question was which was the tough part, the heat or the wind. My thought was, “It’s the biking.” But since [finishing in] San Francisco, all I want to do is ride my bike, and real life, my bed and shower aren’t as satisfying as they used to be. This trip changed my perspective on so many things, most of all on how little we really need in life, and in how many people deal with MS and how many keep a positive outlook through it all. So I decided to do it again in 2013, in better shape, more experienced and wiser about the trip, but mainly to help out again. God was good to me in 2012, allowing me to ride without incident and really enjoy His beautiful creation in a way I’d wanted to do for 30 years.

Bike the US for MS is a great organization, and the service projects were very rewarding. It was also great meeting so many wonderful people who supported our efforts and the goals of BTUSFMS, including many people who live with MS themselves. By far, the warmest welcome we received was in Pittsburg, Kansas. The MS chapter there is very active and well-organized, and we felt like rock stars riding in. We had just finished a few grueling days in Missouri, and we were now on the Plains and the first truly flat terrain of the trip. The town MS Society cooked us dinner and gave us a great presentation. There were a couple speeches by people with MS, including a very moving one by a woman who is also blind and suffers from memory loss as well. She was one of the most positive people I’ve ever met, and it was very emotional when she told us that she wouldn’t remember any of us but how proud she was of us and what it meant to her and everyone else there that we were doing this to raise money for MS. We were also given handmade cards from local school kids and Sunday-schoolers that were very touching and funny, too. Some of them said, “Ride faster!” or “Mom says you should wear your helmet.” On four of our five days off, we did community service work that was set up by the local MS chapters. In Blacksburg, Va.; Carbondale, Ill.; Pueblo, Colo.; and Cedar City, Utah, we would go to the house of someone with MS and help them with yard work, painting, cleaning the house, fixing things, moving heavy furniture, and things like that. It was real treat to do things for others and not just make it all about riding a bike. It also made us feel truly blessed to get to do something fun and enjoyable all summer when so many people have a hard time just getting out of their houses.

It was this element helping people with MS that made the trip feel truly worthwhile. I’d wanted to ride my bike across the country for a long, long time... probably 30 years. But I never got enough nerve to figure out all the logistics. But last spring, I had the idea again. When I went online and searched for ways to do it, and Bike the US for MS came up at the top of my search list. When I read that they slept in tents and did it no-frills, and then saw that the ride was focused on helping other people, I didn’t hesitate to sign up.

It was a bit scary at first. I thought, “What have I got myself into?” But I’ve always like doing endurance events, so I was excited, too. And as I read more up on MS, it really motivated me to finish, and to try to raise more funds than the minimum. What was interesting was that I didn’t think I knew anyone with MS, but the more I talked to people, the more I realized pretty much everyone has a loved one -- family or close friend -- who lives with this disease. On the route, people would walk up to us at our rest stops or while we were eating and ask us what we were doing, and whenever we mentioned that we were raising money for MS, they would tell us that they had a sister with it, or a brother-in-law, or that their mother had died from it. It was hard not to feel humbled by that, and people treated us so kindly and warmly because of it.

It’s very easy to donate. Go to biketheusforms.org. It’s a great site that shows the rider profiles, the route, some videos, and you can donate on-line there if you feel moved. Hopefully you will feel moved. The tour keeps the support costs low so that as much goes to the MS charities as possible. Bike The US for MS supports three MS chapters around the country—in Charlottesville, Va.; Minneapolis; and in Seattle—as well as sponsoring small projects at local chapters, like building wheelchair ramps. Last year, we raised more than $250,000. We sleep in tents or in donated indoor space almost every night, and it does actually occur to us that it’s nice to trade some creature comforts so that the money we raise actually helps people. We pay for our own food. So the only support costs really are the fees for campgrounds and gas for the van that drives our gear.