We're deep in the midst of tech for our theatre collective's mainstage production of The Drowsy Chaperone. Since I'm in the actor's shoes this time around, I found myself dreading the start of tech; in a way, it's the technicians' time, and we're there to make their lives easier. But when we got started, I realized that this is one of my favorite parts of the rehearsal process.
Technical rehearsals are when we begin to slide the formerly separate working components of the show together, and a lot of the time we close our eyes, cross our fingers, and pray under our breath that things will work out. It's a time of compromise, elation, disappointment, and stress. However, it is primarily the time when the theatre magic begins to happen.
I love sitting in the house and watching the production team work together in the same space for the first time. Every single aspect of production interests me; there's so much to learn from everyone in the room.
What I love the most, though, is working with people who care so deeply about what they do. The theatre is a house of emotion, and that emotion doesn't just come from the actors. People who do theatre don't just do it because they want to. For many of us, it's because we absolutely HAVE to (I'm referencing something a mentor once told me). I feel that burn of HAVING to do theatre, and it's always so comforting to know that there are others who are just as desperate for the theatre as I am.
Sitting in this multimillion-dollar theatre makes me scared. This is my last show in this space, and I have no way of knowing when my next show will be, and if I will ever work in a comparable space and environment again.
Knowing I want to pursue theatre is deeply frightening to me. There's no question of "if" in my mind, but rather of "how" I'm going to go about it. I can plan all I like, but in the end none of that matters. A lot of this world is being in the right place at the right time.
The fervor with which my enthusiasm burns is worrisome to me. Why? Because regardless of how much I love the theatre, that doesn't affect my talent.
In a way, that's not really important. I love theatre. I'm going to do it. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
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