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.

A Note Of Thanks...To The Cast And Crew Of "Pirates Of Penzance"

On Friday a group of people gathered in a green room before an opening of a play began. Two months earlier, some met for the first time, others had worked with each other before. Each person in the room felt excited and a little nervous. Like many, this theatre has its own traditions, one of which is to circle up, hold hands, give last-minute notes, and even a thought or prayer.

It's also a time to give special announcements.

Last Friday, before a show my daughter and I are in began, a cast member brought three boxes into our circle. When called upon she explained why she brought the boxes, and her response almost brought me to tears.

It's amazing how close people can become in a short period of time when focused on a common goal. I bring that up because those people in that room did something incredibly thoughtful for my family and for two other groups. We've had some tragedies in our theatre community of late. A family lost a son and his funeral was at the same time as my father-in-law's. The theatre has two stages and another show opens next week. The people in the cast and crew assembled gift boxes, and one came to us.

When you lose someone close, something that helps is having things to think about so you won't focus on all the bad. When my mom died more than a decade ago, we had the funeral to plan, the house to sell, all the details to get through. My father-in-law passed away a week before we opened a new show. Anyone involved in a huge project knows the closer the deadline, the more things you have to deal with. I had an advantage of focusing on the play. It eased the pain.

So, when these wonderful people presented us with a box of goodies and things to make life a little sweeter, I thought it was me that should be thanking them, not just for the box, but for everything else. They've offered prayers, condolences, and thoughts of comfort to my family. The theatre became a sanctuary from all the details of life.

A good writer friend once told me I do too many plays. He's said if I had used those literally thousands of hours writing instead of learning shows and performing them, I could have several novels written. He's right, of course, but I'd be missing out on amazing experiences on and off stage. I'd never meet these beautiful people and be a part of something wonderful. Thank you Pirates of Penzance cast and crew. Your gifts and comforting words mean the world to us. God bless.