…the “Boards” being the community theater stage.
Having done a few minor acting roles in college (and having fun at it), I took the next 20-some years off, instead focusing on such mundane and trivial things as ‘work’* and ‘kids’ and other four letter words.
I got back into acting at the urging of Daughter Person**. I’m thinking she was just getting tired of my hijinks at home and wanted me to express myself elsewhere where it may be a tad less embarrassing to her. And, first time on stage in 20 years, I was hooked. Just loved the ability to be someone else on stage, to hear applause and know it’s for you, and, at the time, to have a ready excuse to escape the failing spousal relationship at home.
Since that restart, I’ve played in numerous local theater groups…
…I started to say “all amateurs”, but that would be a extreme disservice to many of them. “Unpaid”? Absolutely. But I find many of the people I perform with…or merely watch from the audience for the shows I’m not in…are just as professional as some of the paid actors I see wander through town on the ‘big stage’.
Anyway, after doing some 24 shows over the course of 9 years***, I found myself taking an unplanned hiatus. For the last two years, due to that pesky divorce thing, losing my brother and sister after drawn out illnesses, and a few other nitnoid life issues, I have been reticent about getting on stage. Okay, yeah, there was this one minor bit part role that I did as a favor to a director friend who couldn’t find anyone to play the doctor in the last five minutes of “Streetcar Named Desire”****. But otherwise? Nada Zip Nothin’.
But it was time to get back on stage. I did audition for two plays last year, but was not selected for either. The latest audition? Well, I didn’t hold out much hope for a role, given the play (“The Producers”, by Mel Brooks), but went to auditions anyway. I thought I had no chance because I hadn’t been on stage in awhile, plus I felt that the ‘senior varsity’ of the community theater would be descending on the audition because it’s a ‘cool’ show to do. Nonetheless, I went. And, amazingly, got a role. A none-too-shabby role.
Zo… I vill be playink Franz Leibkind, der Nazi Playwright of ze play within ze play (he writes “Springtime for Hitler”). Und, of course, vill be vorkink on my Cherman accent, jawohl?
Rehearsals have been underway for almost a month…singing, dancing, acting. Curtain goes up opening night the end of this month, a mere 2-and-a-half weeks away.
Hell, no, we’re not ready yet.
Hell, yes, we will be.
Hell, yes, I’m having fun.
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*Some, including myself, would argue that a majority of my work when dealing with other people, especially customers, is pure acting.
**…or, a new one from our latest e-mail exchange – – Female Progeny.
***even going through a phase where I was doing back-to-back shows, putting on one show while already in rehearsals for the next. Ugh! I do not recommend that.
****and, boy, did I ham that one up…a doctor pretending to smoke a cigarette, actually drinking from a hip flask (I was very popular with the other actors as I did share whatever inebriatory delicacy was therein), and the like.
The Wilds of Ohio 