(Col 3:23) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
(Col 3:23) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
It has been pointed out to me that I get a little to serious when it comes to productions. Phrases like grumpy and hypercritical are also thrown out at times. And really, I can’t disagree nor do I feel like I should change this about me.
And here are my reasons why:
Theatre is sacred to me. Not that I have a little shrine and light candles, but it is worthy of respect or dedication. (look it up. It is one of the definitions.)
The theatre has brought me some of the most important things in my life. Pretty much all non family relationships have come from my theatre experiences. Several that have lasted for more than 20 years. The theatre has saved my marriage in many ways. But that is a story for another time. Some of the people who have helped my faith the most are from my theatre experiences. My greatest joys and pains have come from my time in the theatre. I try to pay my bills from the skills that I have learned from my theatre experience.
Saying all this, I hold the theatre and it’s rules and traditions in high regard. So I take the abuse and disrespect of these things pretty seriously. And in the last few weeks as I watched my wife and girls get placed into a show that was being handled poorly, I found myself to pretty grumpy often. It hurt my heart to see these kids taught poorly or not at all on what true theatre could be. I feel strongly about bringing up the next generation of practitioners of the art/craft. Giving them all that the theatre has to offer involves pushing them and informing them of the rules and traditions. It is not always based on the fun but the joy of hard work and discipline. But I know with that comes a lot of fun moments. I would hope that anyone who has left any show that worked with me, left with skills and a healthy view of what theatre can be.
I would also get angry when I thought of my wife’s and daughters’ names might be associated with such a poorly planned and rehearsed play. I accept that things happen as show run. Those are things that memories are made of. But I believe that should come from the surprises of the show, not from bad or poor preparation. My poor daughter who took on the role of LD and board op, was still getting cues minutes before opening. She did fine but could have done better with more time and better planning.
The theatre is part of who I am. And it is part of my family. And I would like to be able to share it with as many people possible. But with and its grandeur and history. Not just the bare minimal, hint of theater.
I would love to teach and work more theatre, but life gets in the way.
drewdalzell Said:
on May 8, 2009 at 12:29 am
I feel your pain. I’ve had a handful of time in my career when I’ve not wanted my name associated with a production because I think it reflects poorly on me. Only once have I actually had to ask to have my name excluded from the program. It’s a tough call, but when people don’t take it seriously it has an impact on everyone involved.