To The Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday Cast...

To The Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday Cast...

Tonight we saw the culmination of hundreds, maybe even thousands of hours of combined practices, not to mention time spent listening to the "rehearsal track" and reading over and over your lines. We sat and watched from above. You put smiles on our faces as we sang the songs in the balcony. You made us wish we were with you on the painted stage among the lights and the smoke, performing for friends and family.

We spend a couple of months together learning everything we need to know to put on a great show, and then it's over. It's a strange feeling when the realization hits that when next week comes, there are faces you won't see and friends--some new, some you've had for years--you won't get to offer a handshake, or give a hug, or a slap on the back. They'll be coming to the theater always the day after you--their curtain will open only after it closes for us.

Those who perform do it for many reasons. There is a rush you get when those people in the audience are cheering and clapping for you and for the way you (and the cast and crew...) made them feel. It can be one of the most amazing feelings you'll ever have. But there's a more subtle yet rewarding feeling that you get from the rehearsals, where we experiment and risk and learn and retain and we do it together. Starting next week, we're now two teams instead of one.

To the other cast, I wish you well. May all your marks be hit, your notes be reached, your costume changes be successful and your time on stage together be an experience you'll remember forever. Break a leg! Take care.