Career Advice...According To George Burns

In a building that once housed both performers and audience members (but, now only performers...), on a back wall under the dressing rooms, is a framed quote hanging for everyone (everyone, with access, that is...) to see.

I saw it.

I snapped a picture.

It wasn't until I looked at it later that I realized to whom the quote is credited.

"I would rather be a failure at something I love, than a success at something I hate."

George Burns.

I don't know if it's just the entertainment industry, but that philosophy permeates many who have chosen that career. The quote is both comforting and terrifying at the same time, especially for one who had at one time, thought about considering performing as a career.

I find the quote additionally interesting considering the source. During my entire lifetime (until he died...), George Burns was always old. His career spanned vaudeville to radio to films to television, and he excelled at each. I've not done any in-depth research on the man or his life. I'm sure he had trials and it wasn't all easy, but that quote from that man tells me he truly loved what he did.

The terrifying part comes from needing to succeed at a level where you can support yourself, or others. Because failing means more than just not succeeding. It means homelessness, starvation, and ultimately, death.

Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but those are considerations that come to mind when I think about quitting a good job just because I don't absolutely love it.

For me, I think the best thing about the quote is it made me think. It made me remember that there are all kinds of people out there, some willing to take the chance, to risk everything, for their dream. It's what makes this big old world a little more fascinating.

Frightmares...When Not Many People Are There

My son and I weren't sure if we'd even work tonight--it's been raining all day long. The show my son and I do requires a dry stage, as in "dry as a bone" or else anyone trying to dance on it could get hurt and hurt bad.

But, we got the text that they wanted us to show up and we'd see how things would shake out. And so we did. And even though there were very few patrons, it turned out to be a pretty good evening at Lagoon's Frightmares.

My son and I are House Managers at the Hackenslash show. If you're unfamiliar with the show, it's basically dancers with chainsaws. Normally we do five shows on Fridays. Today--none, but we thought it would be fun to have the chainsaw-wielding dancers be available for photo ops and to meet the people. And so we did.

Unfortunately, there were so few people on the park tonight that we cut the evening short. Too bad, because the high rolling clouds made for a really cool atmosphere at Lagoon. I took a few pictures, pictures inside the Opera House, pictures outside. Like I said, it turned out to be a pretty good night.

Sewing Machines...For Some, They Can't Get Enough Of Them

I have a co-worker who's obsessed with sewing machines.

How is that possible, you might ask? I mean, many of us are obsessed with different things. Some people collect cars or stamps or comic books. Some people spend thousands of dollars on computer equipment or cameras. Truth is, we all seem to find things we gravitate toward, things that bring us joy.

And for my co-worker, it's sewing machines. We've had discussions about sewing machines many times. If find it fascinating to hear about her collections. She has a sewing room at home (like many people do...) and in that room she has several machines--I believe she said she current has seven, and she is considering buying more. To me, that's a lot, but I'm sure to her, it all makes sense.

I thought of her when I walked passed an old foot pedal machine I saw last night. It's a Singer sewing machine located in the costume shop at Lagoon. Personally, I know absolutely nothing about it--how valuable it is, how important, how rare. When I return to work next week I'll show it to her and get her opinion on it. Even if she doesn't necessarily know about this specific machine, I'll bet she knows what sewing jobs it could handle.

Then again, maybe not, but I'm sure she'll love seeing the picture.

The Coolest Theater You've Probably Never Been In...

In the theater world where I live I'm sort of in between worlds. I'm old enough to remember some of the shows (and those in them...) from the 1970s and 1980s. And I've also done shows beginning in this century so I've been in shows with many of the younger generation.

Those of us older performers may know of this theater. I guarantee the younger ones have never heard of it. It's the Lagoon Opera House and I absolutely love it! Today, after doing our first show, I was so successful as a "rainmaker" that the remainder of our shows were rained out. While we waited to get a call from the entertainment supervisor to make sure the shows were canceled, I took a tour and snapped a few pictures. I could have spent the entire day in that theater taking pictures and never run out of things to photograph.

In the halls there are several pictures of shows that once graced the stage. They've been there for decades. I actually knew many of the performers in those pictures.

The reason most have never been in the theater is because the last time anyone did shows in there was probably the mid-1980s. It's been closed to the public ever since--code issues. And it's highly likely it will never be up to code to allow the public back in. 

And it's a shame, a crying shame.

If I had the means (and the permission...), I'd love to fix it up and put something--anything--on that stage. It's a work of art, a beautiful building and for those of us lucky enough to remember it, an amazing theater.