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.