Goodnight Diane...Sleep Well

As we hurried about to prepare for Christmas, a quiet Facebook notice showed up in my announcements. It was from a cast member from a show I did in 2015. The show was Harvey and there were eleven of us that shared the stage. On Sunday, one of us passed away.

Over the years I've been involved in several theatrical productions. Even if you work with the same people, each show is different--each cast its own personality. You work toward a goal of making the best show possible for the patrons and for yourself. And by doing so, you make strong friendships that last forever, because you worked, you sacrificed, you endured something together. When bad news hits, the memories of that shared experience return, and it becomes closing night, and you miss them all over again.

Diane Robbins was in the cast of Harvey. She and I had probably the least amount of stage time, but it didn't matter. Diane was a lovely person on stage and off. She always had a smile and for the life of me, I can't remember her saying anything that wasn't positive. Within days of the show closing at the beginning of July, 2015 Diane was in the hospital and the news was not good. Because the show had ended, we no longer saw each other, could no longer encourage and uplift each other in person. That was the hardest part. We received a notice in December 2015 that Diane was in remission--the best news possible.

In the three and a half years since, Diane many times commented on posts or pictures of mine. The last time I saw her was after a show I did this past summer. It was great to see her and give her a hug. On Sunday, we were given the news that she had passed away. The last thing she posted on Facebook was a simple meme, perhaps the most famous words ever written by Charles Dickens. "God bless us, everyone!" How appropriate.

I didn't know Diane as well as others, but I felt a emptiness when I heard the news. Tears have been shed and many more will fall because of her wonderful spirit. Goodnight Diane...the curtain has fallen for the last time and the world's a darker place. Sleep well.

Checking Out June 27...For The Past Five Years

One of the advantages of writing a daily blog for over five years is you can go back in time and instantly access any one of those blog posts to see what you wrote about.

I know it's not the greatest advantage, but it can be, especially when you want to remember things that happened to you, or if others want to see things from the past. Since I'm closing in on almost 2000 blog posts (kind of staggering when I think about it...), I decided to go back in time and see what I wrote about on June 27 in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011.

I was surprised.

Last year I wrote about an incident that happened while doing a show. I was also doing a summer gig performing at an amusement park. 2015 was crazy when it came to doing a show and I was glad my list of blog posts included something about performing.

In 2014 I must have been bored (or I had too many good pictures...) because I did a post about random photographs I had taken. I do that sometimes, but not too often. I like that post because it includes what I did during that time and it also brought back a lot of memories.

The 2013 blog post for this day is special for me. I dedicated it to a friend who we lost way too early. Danny Thompson was a special person, special in the way he made everyone around him feel better, feel good, feel loved. I found out that a girl I had done many shows with was actually my friend's daughter and she dedicated a post on Facebook to her father on his birthday. It blew me away how small a world this really is. I wanted to honor him and I hope I did a good job, even though any words I could have written were inadequate to let you know just what an amazing person he was.

The post for 2012 brought back memories as well. I used to participate in a weekly blog writing exercise. We would be given a photograph and five randomly chosen words. We then had to write a story in 500 or less words using the picture and the words. I wrote a lot of short stories. It was a lot of fun and helped me keep my daily blog going. It's been years since those running the exercise shut it down. Those were a lot of fun to write.

And in 2011 I wrote about our neighbors remodeling an old home in the neighborhood. They're now well established in their home with kids arriving and growing up. They even got a little dog.

I should do this more, look back on these posts. I hardly ever do it, actually. It's been fun to see what I've been writing about going back for five years. At least, it's been fun for me.

So Long, "Harvey"...It's Been A Pleasure

Tonight another show has come to a close, another production ended. The chairs are empty, the light board levels all turned to zero. Once again, it's a bittersweet time.

People I know that are not involved in community theater wonder how in the world we can dedicate so much time into something without renumeration. It's a fair question. On the surface it's hard to understand how so many would give up time that could be given to family or friends or hobbies or other interests. And there's not really a good answer, either. I can only say, for those of us who do, the time put into the shows garners rewards you can't get anywhere else.

In the past fourteen months, I've been in five shows with only a two-week break when I wasn't in a show. And I'm also doing a summer performing gig, but since I'm getting paid for that one, I consider it a second job, not necessarily a show. But if you count that as a show, then I will have been on one stage or another from May, 2014 to September, 2015.

I've been a wild west show promoter, a pirate in Neverland, Bob Cratchit, one of the three (not so...) little pigs, a cabbie, and a rainmaker. I've been a principle and part of the ensemble, the star of the show and someone on stage for only a few minutes. I auditioned for three of the six shows; the rest I was asked to help out. It's been quite a ride.

And so tonight we'll all change out of our costumes and place our alter egos on hangers in the dressing rooms. We'll thank those who came and drive home alone in our cars. And we'll never again say our lines or hit our marks. Sure, there's a good chance some of us will do shows together again, or see each other at the theater, but the creation we all made over the past three months now disappears like smoke in the wind.

Harvey's been a pleasure. The cast was supremely talented and I was happy to tag along. For those of you who saw it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did bringing it to you. And that large white rabbit, well, he'll show up again in another show at another time. I, for one, can honestly say he'll be missed.

My Shoes...My Character Shoes

 On Thursday I went to the theater for our production of Harvey and when I got to the table where I left my character shoes I noticed something. Or, in other words, I noticed nothing.

The nothing I noticed were the lack of the shoes I needed for my scene.

If you're familiar with Harvey, then you know that my character, the role of cabbie, E.J. Loftgren, is only in the show the last few minutes. Because of this, I really don't gave a designated spot in the dressing room, especially since my call time is so much later than everyone else. I don't get ready with the rest of the cast. 

When we started dress rehearsals the shoes that were picked out for me were on a table, as were all the other's character shoes. Also on the table were the names of each cast member. When I got to the theater I get dressed then walk to the table and retriev my shoes. After each show I replaced my shoes, right where I found them an hour earlier.

Until, two days ago, that is.

The reason my shoes were missing is because the costumer thought all of us actors had placed our shoes in the dressing room with the rest of our costumes. Everyone except me. So when I came in on Thursday the costumer had taken the several pairs of shoes and re-stocked them inside the theater's catacombs. Luckily for me, the man playing Harvey in our Harvey is married to the costumer. Yesterday when I went to the show, my character shoes were in the dressing room with everyone else's. 

And all was right with the world!

I Made The Scene Change...

After each play that I've done over the past fourteen months, I've told myself that things will start to slow down after the particular play that I'm in is over.

Somehow, it never seems to work out that way.

In fact, things have gotten busier.

Case in point, after Shrek ended, I was certain I'd have the rest of the spring and summer not being involved in shows. When my friend asked me if I'd help out with Harvey, I said I would as long as I could play the cabbie. He agreed and I was then in another play. Since the cabbie is only in the last five minutes of the production, rehearsals for me were almost non-existent, at least for the first month. Things picked up int he last few weeks, but still--not very stressful.

Then came another performing opportunity, and this one's a paid gig! I was hired by the local amusement park to do a one-man show. It's a total blast and I've blogged about it a lot since I started. Thankfully the director and stage manager of Harvey  have allowed me to come late to the play. Normally I have time to go home, grab a quick bite to eat, take a shower and show up in time to do my scene change at 7:55pm.

On Saturday things change.

Saturday at Lagoon Amusement Park is the busiest day of the week. On Saturdays we do our Rainmaker show at 4pm, 5pm, 6pm and 7pm, which means I cannot get dinner or a shower if I'm to make it to the theater in time to do my one scene change at 7:55pm.

Tonight was the first Saturday night of the Harvey run and the first time I did four shows at Lagoon. After the last show I hurried and changed, dropped off my son and home and hightailed it to the theater. Once there I got changed in my costume and made my scene change with a few minutes to spare.

I've got three more Saturday nights of Harvey performances, so three more times this will be an issue. At least, this one worked out.

Come See Harvey! Those You Can See, Anyway...

Tonight's the opening night for Harvey, the latest play I'm in. The show is a classic and even though it's decades old, it holds up amazingly well. If you're familiar with the show, then you know there are characters you see and one only a few see.

Here's some backstage shots of the cast (that you can see...). It's a a great show, a wonderful cast and a good time. The show runs Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays beginning tonight until July 3, 2015. Please come see us play!

Leishman Performance Hall...A Great Little Space

Tonight I'm rehearsing for an upcoming show in the Leishman Performance Hall, named after Connie Leishman, a wonderful woman from an amazing family. Leishman Performance Hall is a black box theater in the Centerpoint Legacy Theatre complex.

It's a great little space.

A few months ago I saw my first show in the space and I loved it! No mics, close enough to the actors that, if it occurs, you can feel any errant spittle that flies from an actor's mouths. I know that's kind of disgusting, but when you're that close to the actors, you might as well be in the scene yourself.

We're rehearsing Harvey. We open a month from tomorrow and I have a great part--E.J. Loftgren, the cabbie that is only in the final five minutes of the show.

Having just finished a production of hundreds of costume pieces and scenery like you wouldn't believe, it's so refreshing to step into a space that's unassuming, simple, pure. Eventually the bare stage will be decorated to create the illusion of a humble home, a bar and a doctor's office, but there's something about an open stage where actors use their skill and imagination to create a world that comes to life in front of you.

This is my first show in this great little space. I can't wait for it to begin.