And the Curtain Closes

It almost seems surreal that it is over. This experience has been utterly fantastic. I could not have asked for a better group of people to work with. They are what made this so memorable. We had an opening night where the odds were stacked against us. We were up against Chris Young in concert at the Showme Center and The Moscow Ballet’s Nutcracker being sold out in the Bedell next door. On top of all of that, we were still able to sell over 120 tickets. And for an opening night on a Thursday for a second stage show, that is amazing. I did sit through most of the first Act being incredibly nervous, but I could tell that the audience was thoroughly enjoying it. The girls did wonderful and it was hilarious to see and hear the giant group of sorority girls’ reactions to Tyler finally walking on stage. After the show I had three different people from the audience walk up to me and say that they though my show was as good as or better than a mainstage production in quality and execution. Sean Lightfoot even said that he hoped the faculty took notice of the amount of work that was put into this show on every level, with a phenomenal cast that was so in tune with each other, a design staff who worked wonders and a crew that held this production together. The second night went even better than the first and once again the audience fell in love with it. I was also really happy that my significant other was willing to skip a dance event (which is what he lives for) in order to come support me. Jess Pfau also came to see the show and I loved that I was able to see her again. The feeling after the show when everyone is congratulating my cast, and sometimes me, if they know who I am, is almost like a high. It is magical. This is why I do this. Live theatre is pure magic. No two shows are the same. This is apparent in the last show when the champagne bottle got caught on Georgeanne’s dress and fell off the bed onto the floor. Her adlibbed line, “It’s fine, it’s empty anyway, completely worthless,” before throwing it back on the bed was hilarious and very well recovered. I also love the fact, that even though I know this show inside and out, backwards and forwards, I always discovered something new every night. One of them, or most of them, would add something. One the last night, during the last scene, I was literally crying from laughing so hard when Trisha actually stuck her hands inside Tripp’s shoes and started clapping with them and gesturing with them. She even kept them on during the curtain call. I cannot express how filled with pride and joy that this show was able to get the reactions that it received. I am so proud of everyone that I was able to work with and I cannot wait to see how far they go in their careers. I will be sad to see Rachel go as she completes her internship in Jefferson City, and I will miss Ryan as he continues his journey on to the Disney College Program. I am sad that this show and experience is over, but it was so wonderful to be a part of it. “Some things in life are gifts. You can accept them. You are allowed.”