Give Thanks...Day 6--Performing

 Back in the fall of 2000, I had a crazy idea to try out for a play, a community theater production of their annual Christmas program. I brought along my then five-year old son to also audition. That one decision, in a way, changed my life from that point on. We both made the cast and did the show. We did the same show a year later. And in the over two decades since that decision, theater has been a part of my life--not every show, not every year, but eventually, I've found my way back to the hardwood of the stage.

I know many have never had the opportunity to perform with a group of amateurs on a stage in front of a paying audience. It's not for everyone, I understand. If you haven't, you may have some pre-conceived notions of what you'll learn and go through from the experience. I know I did. I can with certainty say, you can't possibly imagine all the things you'll learn, you'll feel, you'll experience doing a community theater show.

In the past twenty years, I have made life-long friendships. I have had incredible experiences--almost spiritual, in some cases. I have had the opportunity to exercise blind faith, leave my comfort zone, and take a chance--risk. There's something about being on stage...you feel alive.

These pictures represent my community theater career quite well. I'm usually in the ensemble. Once again, that doesn't work for some, but it suits me well. In the one show, I was Pig #2. In the second show, I was a towns person. Being in the ensemble means you're also other things. In Shrek, for example, I was Pig #3, a prisoner, a town member of Duloc, and a few other things. In Beauty and the Beast, I was a town member, a cheese grater, Monsieur D'Arque, and a few other things

One thing that has been a true blessing for me is that I have had the opportunity to do numerous shows with my kids, two of the kids, a least. I did many shows with my son. For the past decade or so, my daughter and I shared the stage. Yes, it's a lot of time, but what an amazing thing to spend time with your kids.

We moved recently. There's fewer theaters here, fewer opportunities. I have no idea when I'll get the opportunity again. But, if I never participate in another show, I'll always love the time I spent on stage. 

During the last show I did, I smuggled my phone backstage and snapped the picture of Wendy and Peter Pan talking. It shows their relationship from an angle unseen by the audience. In fact, me and my fellow cast members were the only ones that experienced the show from that perspective. Doing a show is watching the world from a different perspective. That's one of the reasons I've loved doing it.