#Yearof50. Entry 5: The play's the thing

I once got into an argument with a colleague who patronizingly scoffed at my assertion that theatre was analogous to team sports. He dismissed me completely when I tried to explain that a company of actors, technicians, artists, and musicians have to come together under pressure and time limits to perform at their highest level possible.

He laughed at me and said, “But there’s no competition.” I replied that you have to compete against your previous performance and the changing audience. He was not convinced. I demurred to keep the peace, but was hurt at the disrespect for the physical and emotional effort that is live theatre. This memory takes me back further, to 1986, where yours truly is in “Oliver”. My memories of high school are largely associated with the incredible group of people I met through drama class and musical theatre, under the wonderful guidance of the amazing Wendy Glover. The second photo is from 1988 and our production of “Grease”. I think this image captures my character Roger’s show-stopping moment during his solo song “Mooning”. How lucky was I to share it with the extraordinary Katie Decker McLaughlin.

I’m grateful for the journey of moral imagination that drama class enabled; the stretching of creativity, the space to dream, play, and to inhabit other characters to better understand myself. I grew immensely on that stage, and it gave me skills I use to this very day.