Apologies – I’m aware that it’s been about a month since this show closed, but due to life/work/health issues I wasn’t able to get things written down as quickly as I would have liked. At this point, I’m writing these stories for my own amusement rather than to keep people informed of current events, but feel free to follow along anyway 🙂
Before this show, I had been out of acting for almost eight years, and hadn’t done a musical in almost nine years, so I was a bit worried about whether or not I would be able to do a good job, having been away for so long.
As usual, I needn’t have worried (did I really just use the word “needn’t”?). In the blink of an eye I found myself caught up in the whirlwind of learning songs and harmonies, memorizing lines, and practicing dances. Even though I had grown up with Quilters and had memorized a great deal of the show many years before, I still had to figure out my place in all of it, which was so much fun, since this was fulfilling a childhood dream of mine.
Our director – bless him – was a brave man, choosing to work with an all-female cast! I know that there were many times that our chatting and goofing off bugged him, and a small part of me feels a little sorry for that, but everyone in the cast has known each other for many years, and we all enjoy each other’s company. At least I enjoy their company, you’d have to ask them to get a full picture! It still makes me smile to remember the constant banter, the random dorky dance breaks (music not necessarily required), and most of us living by the “better-to-ask-for-forgiveness-than-permission” method and trying crazy antics, only to have the director sigh and shake his head in resignation – which I guess was either him giving permission or choosing his battles wisely! In addition to rehearsal fun, there was one occasion where I went on a late-night after-rehearsal excursion to Wal-Mart while in full costume. Why, do you ask? Because a friend/cast-mate and I thought it would be funny to see how people would react (thanks, Em!)
One beautiful thing about about being in such a tight-knit cast is that we had so many opportunities to encourage and pray for each other during difficult times. We all had many stressors in our lives – work, family, financial, emotional… you get the idea. It’s not always easy to speak up when you are struggling, but if you keep your troubles and worries to yourself, people may not know that there’s a problem, and therefore they won’t be able to help.
We had the incredible blessing of helping each other, through prayer and practical means, during the run of this show. Having been away from this company for so long, I had forgotten what it was like to have a close group of friends that you care about, and who care about you – it is a beautiful thing, and I pray that we would continue to support each other, so that we may in turn bless the community.
A Special Strength 