Sweat, Stairs, and Rock N' Roll

The word community is derived from the Latin word "communitas" (com="together"+ munus="gift"). As the cast and crew toiled together in the hot, dirty space that will be their home away from home for the next couple of months, the meaning of this word became abundantly clear.

After some initial grumbling and a few "if looks could kill" glances directed at our fearless leader, the work of creating a usable rehearsal space began. This consisted of some pretty unsavory jobs, including moving heavy set pieces, disassembling large objects, and endless sweeping. All of this accompanied by cassette tapes of music, which some of the cast had heard of, but never actually seen. (Insert uncomfortable high school flashback here).

As the night progressed, strangers introduced themselves, acquaintances became better acquainted, and friends got friendlier. People who would never cross paths in "real life" became part of the same community, a group of like-minded individuals working together toward a common goal.

Eventually, the space was clean, work gloves were shed, and there was nothing left to do. And that was when the community was truly born. The gift of coming together became evident as people stood around, talking, processing their shared experience, and just generally soaking in the atmosphere of the space that they had created together.

Personally, I'm grateful to have witnessed the creation of this little community, and to the people who made it happen. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Cleaning Picasso's Brushes

At our first full production meeting on Sunday, I got the pleasure of meeting the team that will be bringing RENT to life. I will admit that, while I was excited to take on a new challenge, I was a little nervous in taking on the role of producer for RENT. However, as the production meeting went on, my role became increasingly clear and any trepidation I had quickly faded. All I have to do is clean Picasso's brushes. My job, along with the stage managers, technical director, and set designer, is simply to support the vision of the incredibly knowledgeable and talented creative team, and to provide whatever assistance they need to bring that vision into reality. And what a vision! I am so honored to be a part of this production. It's going to be a powerful, game-changing process, and I can't wait to see it unfold. All I have to do is make sure that the brushes are clean.