Open Wardrobes

So the last couple of days have been our off days for Greens, in-between our two weekends of shows. While I miss my fellow castmates it is nice to have just a little rest. Last week, from Sunday to Sunday, we did the show 10 times when you include all the tech/dress rehearsals. By Sunday night I was also feeling a little under the weather, so a break was much-needed. Our school matinees for today were canceled, but I took the day off work anyway, a good choice I think. Despite our break in performances I have not entirely lost touch with the cast, as it has given us all a chance to upload our behind-the-scenes photos to Facebook. :-) Yes, I'm on Facebook, after vowing not that long ago that I wasn't going to cross that line. But under peer pressure from my wife I succumbed. So my photos, Will's photos, Ali's photos, Jan's photos... there they all are in a myriad of Hanging of the Greens-labeled photo albums up on Facebook. Ali always seems to be behind a camera, Justin is always trying to get in the shot, Alycia is always texting (for which we have kidded her mercilessly), and everyone has at least one photo they think they look terrible in.


Does it get better than this? To be a part of a cast who has become such a family and has such fun together? I do not have kids (in real life, that is), but I get a warm fuzzy feeling each time one of my stage children calls me "papa." They are good, wonderful, talented kids and I continue to be impressed with both their dedication and maturity. The other adults are, of course, also amazing to work with, though we are perhaps a quieter, more mellow bunch (on the weekend, in our break between shows, it got a little rowdy!) who tend to save most of our energy for the actual performances. :-) I wouldn't trade this experience for this world, and I cannot help but be sad it will soon end. I was tempted to jump right back into things and audition for Lakeshore's next show, but deep down I know that I will need a bit of a rest (there's that energy thing again, and I am slowly learning to be more focused about where I spend mine). I still have a one-man show to revise and prepare for (Fringe is 7 1/2 months away, but that is surprisingly little time when you are responsible for the production side of things).


So tomorrow we jump back into it for our final 7 performances. It is theater, it is all in the now. That makes it fleeting, and I have always hated reaching the end of such a good thing, but its now-ness is part of what makes it special. Each performance is different, as each show and each cast is different. If we stayed with this one forever, there would be no next show to come, no chance to join some of these people in a new adventure, and meet yet more new faces.

"It is only in the Present that the Eternal can be met." - C. S. Lewis