Hello, hello. It’s me again! Well, this is the last you will hear from me. Unless, of course, you start a petition for Michelle to cast me in every TTT show. Well, not every one, but the majority. Two out of three?…If you do start this petition, rest assured, I will not stand in your way. Do what you must do, what you feel is right, fair, and best for us all.
As we head into the final week of performances (That’s right! Only five shows left! Final weekend: Get your tickets while they’re hot!), I am prone to pondering the joys of my job. Because it will soon be gone, a memory, and I will be on the couch, unemployed. Dang. Alas, such is life.
I remember just a few short weeks ago when I stated (sheepishly admitted, really) that the spark had gone out when it came to performing the show. Naturally, and with a vengeance, it has returned. As I knew it would. I did. (I did!)
Do you know what is so cool about TTT? I do.
So…
Okay, I’ll tell you. (Since you insist.)
Oh great, now that I’ve begged the question, I find I have a multitude of answers. So many thoughts, directions, things to say…I will focus on what has been on my mind lately.
Here’s my current answer: It is so, so cool that we have the ability and the opportunity to perform for many different people, in many different environments. We have, in our 19 shows, seen quite the range in demographics; people with vastly varied life experiences. It fascinates and stimulates me. How could it not?
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Hi friends. How are you? Well, um…I have something to say…I’m frightened, but I feel I must unburden myself. I hereby admit to you, in confidence, that the luster is lacking. Gone are the glory days, those first shows which filled me with adrenaline and anticipation. Now, we’ve reached the mid-point in our run, some reviews have been printed, we’ve grown accustomed to boisterous audiences as well as timid ones, and it feels a little like we’re “just doing a show.” It’s like Wednesday, you know? Hump day, when being halfway done can be both dreadful and exciting. I can sense it in whatever strange room — be it closet, meeting area, storage, or utility space — we’ve come to find ourselves all packed into as a makeshift dressing room for the day. The energy in general has decreased just a tad.
The day you’ve been waiting for is finally here! It’s our public opening, tonight at Open Book! I feel now is the perfect time for me to introduce you to my lovely and talented company members. I’m sure you’ll meet them, personally, when you see the show, but…You are seeing the show, aren’t you? Anyway, I’ve been so self-centered, focusing on my own thoughts, feelings, experiences; hardly even mentioning the cool people I play with each day. So, here they are…I’m sure you’ll like them as much as I do!
Oh, man. Seriously. Actually, Oh, men, to be precise. We have our first show for men today. Only men. Men in prison. I don’t expect great things, and I’m very nervous, but as we all know, I’ve been proven wrong before. I’ll let you know how it goes…
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On Tuesday afternoon the ten-member company of Life’s a Dream drove four hours north to Cass Lake, MN, for a week of performances. We stayed overnight at The Palace Casino Hotel. It was, I will say, anything but palatial, and waking up pre-dawn the next morning was more nightmarish than dreamy, but I shall not dwell on the negative!
Wednesday morning’s show was next door at the Leech Lake Tribal College, where we performed for college students and staff, members of the community, and local high school students. They were…well, a very reserved audience. A few folks were enthusiastic, and they were very kind, but come the second act, they seemed more concerned with their intermission chips and guacamole than with the outcome of our fair play. It was, by far, our most lackluster performance to date, and I left feeling wary for what the rest of the week would hold. Oops, sorry! More negativity!
Alright, alright, enough of this philosophical crap! Enough sappy stories! What’s this play really about?!?…Right?
You, my newfound friends and avid blog readers, must be asking yourselves just that: Do I really want to see this play, or am I satisfied by simply reading about it? If true contentment has found you in the form of my blog, I say, “Be my guest, read on!” But let’s see if I may persuade you in the form of a brief synopsis, shall we?
Holy S#@T, y’all! (Yes you read correctly: This Minnesota-native just used the word “y’all” in a sentence.) We had our first show yesterday, and it was unbelievable. Sound it out with me, all five syllables. Un-be-liev-a-ble. Truly. This was, by far, the most surprising, fun, and exhilarating of all my most cherished TTT performances.
In my last entry I tried to capture, briefly, what Life’s a Dream is about. I apologize to you, dear readers, for overlooking its big heart. In addition to loyalty, revenge, honor, and overcoming what fate or fortune has consigned to you, this show is about love and forgiveness and the awesome nature of humanity. Performing today for the women in Ramsey County Correctional Facility, I was pleasantly hit over the head by these beautiful and gracious values. And it felt so good.
Oh. Well, hi. Hello there. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Maggie. For the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging about my experiences performing with the diversely talented cast of Life’s a Dream for Ten Thousand Things Theatre. I’ve never done this before (blog, that is). I generally feel as though what I have to say isn’t all that cool, so please bear with me as I grow accustomed to me brand new typing fingers! But I trust that you are all smiling faces with open minds, open hearts, maybe even open arms; friendly folks who will enjoy reading this blog, surprised to find humor and emotion sprinkled throughout all that eloquence, wisdom, and inspiration…Ah, well. I can dream, can’t I?
Because life really is a dream, isn’t it? From the awesomeness of conception and birth to the bewildering, ever-changing nature of maturation and daily living, man, it’s dreamy. Can any of us honestly define who or what we are? Or say what we truly want? We are so many things, we want so many things. Existence itself, and its events, can send our emotions reeling, leaving us to wonder: What the ___? What’s it all about? Is this my life? Is this really happening? Where do I go from here?