I Was Meant For The Stage (or My Life as a Community Theatre Extra)

As I passed from my thirties to my early 40's, I made it my mission to try new things, have new experiences, eat weird, sometimes awful foods (looking right at you, octopus.  Gross...)...the impetus for this phase in my life was originally a horrible break-up with a controlling, abusive ex, but then it became a way to celebrate life, for want of a better description.  It became sort of like that movie Yes Man, only I never got arrested for being a terrorist. Yet.

Some people acquire new hobbies later in life.  My own father was a building maintenance worker all his life, but when he retired, he discovered a new found love for photography and never speaking to his adult children.  I found community theater. 

This was something I never thought I'd be into, to be honest.  I had no interest in being on stage.  I'm an introvert, like 75% of the time, I don't like the attention.  But then I met Lori, the woman of my dreams, my other half, my soulmate, if you will.  She was stage managing a play at Attleboro Community Theatre when I first met her, and her enthusiasm for theater was infectious.  So one weekend, she got me in to see it.  The play was called Radio T.B.S., and it was a comedy about a group of women of varying ages who lived in a trailer park and their attempts to put aside their own prejudices and petty squabbles long enough to put on a live nativity scene that celebrated both the births of Jesus H. Christ and the king himself, Elvis Presley.

the hilarious cast of Radio T.B.S.

I loved it.  It was hilarious and heartfelt, and I ended up seeing the play multiple times.  I even volunteered to sell concessions on a few dates.  After that, I was a fixture at Attleboro Community Theatre.  I was always helping out at the shows when I could.  I made friends with several members of the acting troupe, I even helped repair their ancient prop couch several times.  I went to every single performance of  The Man From Earth, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Vanya and Sonya and Masha And Spike (which was my favorite of all the shows I've seen).  The one thing I hadn't done was act.  Totally wasn't going to do that...

...and then I auditioned.  The show was The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever, a cute little comedy about a Sunday School play gone wrong.  Lori convinced me to audition, and there was a non speaking role, Fireman #2, that I thought I could handle.  No lines, right?  I got to the audition, and the director, Jeanne Smith (also el presidente at A.C.T.), had me read for the role of a disapproving reverend.  I thought it was funny, me being an atheist, but I didn't get my hopes up.  I'd be a fireman, and a damn good one.

Then I got cast as the right Reverend Hopkins.

The show's rehearsals were chaotic with all the children in the play, my anxiety flared up on a regular basis, and I couldn't speak loud enough to be heard.  Why, I thought, why am I doing this to myself?  This is insanity!  I wanted to quit.  The child actors were melting down backstage every rehearsal, nobody knew their lines...It was going to be the worst Christmas play ever.  But I didn't.  Lori was always there for me, keeping me sane.  Some of the parents even came in to keep their tiny monsters in line.

Miracle of miracles, the play went amazingly well.   It was funny, moving, and sold a ton of tickets.  My cousin and her family even came to see it.  I was proud of our cast, of our crew, and of myself.  Lori even won an award for stage managing the whole show.

Cadence Preston  and Abigail Tetreault starring as
trouble-making sisters in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

I was relieved.  I was happy.  I was never going to do that again....

...and then I did.  And I want to keep on doing theater.  It's a fun time.  It's like having a second family made up of friends.  There's stress, there's anxiety, there's arguing, there's egos, there's a ton of drama in drama...there's definitely days where I just want to blow it all off and stay in my PJ's and binge watch Gotham rather than deal with another rehearsal or another performance, but then I don't.  Because it's rewarding.  I may not get cast in anything else ever again, I am admittedly not an actor, but I'll still come out for auditions, or I'll be a stage hand, or I'll sell snacks between acts.  I want to direct, too.  I want to make a show so good that everyone in the Attleboro area sees it, and maybe even surrounding towns (yep...think big there, Shawn...haha)!

So yeah, don't be afraid to try new things, I guess is the lesson learned here, I don't know.  Sounds good. I also learned I like Days of Our Lives and morning..."exercise", but there's not a post in either of those.

Real Men watch "Chick Flicks" (or How I stopped worrying and learned to love Bridget Jones)

I have a confession to make:  I love romantic comedies.

I know that's not the most manly thing to admit to, but oh well.  I am who I am, and who I am thought Bridget Jones' Diary was hilarious.

Seriously,  this was my gateway drug into the world of rom-coms.  I watched it because my wonderful girlfriend recommended it highly, and it was just awesome.  I really got into the storyline, I cared about the characters, whether Bridget ended up with the dashing scoundrel Hugh Grant, or with the stable, stern faced Colin Firth (team Firth right here), and I laughed at the mix of sophisticated humor and pratfalls.  Plus, Renee Zelwegger is ADORABLE in this flick.  After this, I had to see the rest of the films in the series.  Edge of Reason was also really fun, and while there's no Hugh Grant to be all smarmy and obnoxious, Bridget Jones' Baby works as a nice send off for the series.  Well, until they make Bridget Jones' Cat or something...

Okay, I'd totally be down for Bridget Jones' Cat, not gonna lie.

Yeah, rom-coms have a formula, but then all movies do.  Do you think they'll ever make a Batman movie where the Joker wins?  I enjoy them anyways, they're like comfort food.  A pretty but awkward woman (Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, Drew Barrymore, Renee Zelwegger, or sometimes Reese Witherspoon) meets the man of her dreams/guy she totally hates (Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Tom Hanks, Ryan Gosling, Hugh Grant...he's in a LOT of these) and through a bunch of comedic mishaps, they end up together.  If done well, you can't even see the strings manipulating the plot, or even if you do, you'll enjoy yourself enough that you won't care.  Sometimes there's even a rom-com where a man is the main protagonist, like Chances Are, starring a really young Robert Downey Jr.

I'm not saying that ALL rom-coms are good, I've seen some really horrible ones too, but I liked enough to say that the genre is a definite guilty pleasure of mine, and they're great movies to watch with your significant other.  Sorry to say, but watching Reservoir Dogs with your woman probably won't lead anywhere later, guys.

Shawn's Top 5 Rom-Coms:

-La La Land - One of my favorite movies of any genre, and also feeds my love of musicals.

-Bridget Jones' Diary - We just talked about this.

-When Harry Met Sally - This is just a classic. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan work so well together, and the script is laugh out loud funny.  Plus Carrie Fisher...Who doesn't love her?

-Down With Love - A great pastiche of old Doris Day flicks and modern raunchy humor.  Renee Zelwegger and Ewan McGregor are great together as two people locked into a love/hate relationship.  Yeah, we know how it ends but so what?

-Joe Vs. The Volcano - for me, this one reigns supreme over You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle for Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom-coms.  It's philosophical, satirical, and ridiculous, as well as romantic.

Runners Up:

You've Got Mail, Love Potion Number 9, Chances Are, Arthur, The Matchmaker, Ed TV, Music and Lyrics, Miss Congeniality, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, There's Something About Mary

(Yes, There's Something About Mary counts as a rom-com.  It totally does, just with more...fluids.)

is her favorite song "Come On Eileen?"

First Post: The Meaning of 42

“O Deep Thought computer," he said, "the task we have designed you to perform is this. We want you to tell us...." he paused, "The Answer."
"The Answer?" said Deep Thought. "The Answer to what?"
"Life!" urged Fook.
"The Universe!" said Lunkwill.
"Everything!" they said in chorus.
Deep Thought paused for a moment's reflection.
"Tricky," he said finally.
"But can you do it?"
Again, a significant pause.
"Yes," said Deep Thought, "I can do it."
"There is an answer?" said Fook with breathless excitement.
"Yes," said Deep Thought. "Life, the Universe, and Everything. There is an answer. But, I'll have to think about it."
...
Fook glanced impatiently at his watch.
“How long?” he said.
“Seven and a half million years,” said Deep Thought.
Lunkwill and Fook blinked at each other.
“Seven and a half million years...!” they cried in chorus.
“Yes,” declaimed Deep Thought, “I said I’d have to think about it, didn’t I?"

[Seven and a half million years later.... Fook and Lunkwill are long gone, but their descendents continue what they started]

"We are the ones who will hear," said Phouchg, "the answer to the great question of Life....!"
"The Universe...!" said Loonquawl.
"And Everything...!"
"Shhh," said Loonquawl with a slight gesture. "I think Deep Thought is preparing to speak!"
There was a moment's expectant pause while panels slowly came to life on the front of the console. Lights flashed on and off experimentally and settled down into a businesslike pattern. A soft low hum came from the communication channel.

"Good Morning," said Deep Thought at last.
"Er..good morning, O Deep Thought" said Loonquawl nervously, "do you have...er, that is..."
"An Answer for you?" interrupted Deep Thought majestically. "Yes, I have."
The two men shivered with expectancy. Their waiting had not been in vain.
"There really is one?" breathed Phouchg.
"There really is one," confirmed Deep Thought.
"To Everything? To the great Question of Life, the Universe and everything?"
"Yes."
Both of the men had been trained for this moment, their lives had been a preparation for it, they had been selected at birth as those who would witness the answer, but even so they found themselves gasping and squirming like excited children.
"And you're ready to give it to us?" urged Loonsuawl.
"I am."
"Now?"
"Now," said Deep Thought.
They both licked their dry lips.
"Though I don't think," added Deep Thought. "that you're going to like it."
"Doesn't matter!" said Phouchg. "We must know it! Now!"
"Now?" inquired Deep Thought.
"Yes! Now..."
"All right," said the computer, and settled into silence again. The two men fidgeted. The tension was unbearable.
"You're really not going to like it," observed Deep Thought.
"Tell us!"
"All right," said Deep Thought. "The Answer to the Great Question..."
"Yes..!"
"Of Life, the Universe and Everything..." said Deep Thought.
"Yes...!"
"Is..." said Deep Thought, and paused.
"Yes...!"
"Is..."
"Yes...!!!...?"
"Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy