A love letter to theatre
I love you arriving early to rehearsal to make sure everything is ready and in the right place.
I love you tiny moment before the first few people arrive while I sit sipping coffee imagining what the show will look like. I love you first three people to arrive as we have an unexpected chat about our day before the rest of the cast arrives. I love you scheduling …. I didn’t think I did… but I do. I love you silly questions about scheduling that are answered on the rehearsal schedule. I love you moment when an actor misses a line and has to restart. I love you missed music cue. I love you face of the confused actor once the music cue has been missed. I love you crazy costume lady… whomever you are. I love you knowing look at the stage manager when an actor blows you away with their talent. I love you accomplishing the impossible with those you love. I love you lost key to the rehearsal hall that caused so much confusion. I love you coffee stains on my script. I love you out of order pages to my script that somehow reorganized themselves. I love you weird theatre smell. I love you moment when the weird theatre smell goes away. I love you first time an actor tries on their costume and you can see them register what their character looks like. I love you theatre effect that misfired and caused so much turmoil for what felt like 2 hours worth of 10 forgotten seconds. I love you first time walking on a finished set. I love you opening night energy. I love you terrifying rehearsal before opening night when nothing works and seems impossible. I love you sitting in different seats of the theatre to see the show from new perspectives. I love you awkward stage manager having to read an absent actor's part in rehearsal. I love you stress dreams after the show closes about doing the show again… in a different role. I love you random 3 word line that the actor with the most lines never can remember. I love you excited director that can’t help themselves so they jump up and run on stage to tell the actors a note. I love you late nights planning on how to accomplish the impossible. I love you long hours painting the stage floor. I love you discarded ideas that didn’t fit within the budget. I love you moment after a show opens and being the last to leave. I love you turning the lights out and walking through the dark missing every obstacle because you are so familiar with the space. I love you broken prop (that better have been your prop). I love you stage manager or assistant director that knows you so well they anticipate your every move. I love you equipment that keeps trying to retire but we can’t afford to replace you so you must soldier on. I love you excited audience. I love you moment when the audience laughs so loud the actors have to pause so people can hear them. I love you stressed stage crew. I love you sold out show feeling. I love you moment before your first entrance. I love you discarded theatre program on the back of a theatre seat. I love you laughing in the dressing room before the show starts. I love you cast that feels like family. I love you theatre.