Another Brick in the Wall

A quickie tonight...my thoughts aren't centered. This show is coming together really well. Knock on wood as you read this.

Thanks. Now we can move on. Last year's show was quite difficult. To put together, and to watch as they put it together. Tennessee Williams makes me tense, and his plays make it difficult for companies to get along. I'm not saying he isn't a great playwright - he's so good his work seeps into real life. Not only that, but chemistry clashes (or lack of chemistry) can make the flow of doing and watching a play less of a fun, wild ride and more of a sprint through heavy traffic, hoping you can make it through without getting run over. That's how last year's show felt to me.

I'm not sure what magical components have pooled into the theatre to mold this show toward what it's forming into, but there are a number of them:

• A director who has done the show before
• Several actors who have done the show before, with this director, with this company
• A wonderful, moving play that lends itself to clean, bright storytelling
• A dynamic, energetic and willing, cheerfully professional and hardworking cast (and crew)

...a lot of elements. Sometimes things don't work out like that. I think, like any other strange and beautiful phenomenon on this earth, if just one star or particle had been out of place for this production it would have been a very different experience. That seems obvious, but the more I think about it, the more it seems true. There are some bumps in the road as far as costumes go, changes still happening to props and to set decoration, but hey, we have two weeks. It's nothing new. There's always something. But as far as the work on the boards, it's going strong.
I've had a good feeling about doing this show since last spring when I said, 'Yes, I'll do it.'

Were they kidding when they asked, unsure? Drop out before Mockingbird? No. I like the idea of being involved in a tenth anniversery production. I like the idea of performing the same job my mentor Steve performed the last time the show went on the road. I like the idea of this story, at this point in history. It feels epic. So far, the feeling's still good.

Everything happens for a reason.

...of course, we still have tech week coming up...