Hair of the Dog

My last post was a bit more...mundane than I expected this writing to be -- talking about the way I work from home but not really exploring any insight into what it means for or about me. I have a thought or two about such an insight, but I'm going to mull it over a bit longer. And I think it's okay if the "depth" of the posts varies somewhat -- I'm new to this, and it's kind of an experiment, so I'll be a while finding a voice and figuring out what works and what doesn't.

During the course of this week, my melancholy over the end of Into the Woods actually got stronger than it was the night that I started this blog. Other members of the cast started posting on facebook their own statements about being sad that the show was over, about missing each other, about wanting to hang out and do shows together again. At the same time, many of the same people were posting updates about the audition and casting process for ACT Andover's production of Guys and Dolls. It was fun to read these posts and watch the cast list take shape before my very eyes, but it was also saddening, since I wasn't part of the cast.

I have good reasons for choosing not to audition for Guys and Dolls. The performance weekend conflicts with an event that I really want to attend. I just started a new job with a new company and should focus on that for a little while. I was tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk and not ready to jump right back into auditions and rehearsals with no rest. All very rational reasons. All useless in the face of an emotional state of mind.

So, I decided to look around and see what other community theater options were available to me. I'd known for a while that there are a few groups nearby -- one each in at least four nearby towns, all no more than 15-20 minutes from my house -- but I was unprepared for the sheer quantity of theater in this area.  There is A LOT of theater around here.

Before I knew it, the same gleeful focus that sometimes takes hold of my brain when I'm deeply immersed in an interesting coding challenge had taken hold of me in my search for local theater groups. I spent hours and hours looking up theater company web sites, checking drive distances, consulting my calendar for rehearsal and production date conflicts, looking up scripts and vocal ranges for characters. It was exhilarating. And before I knew it, the doldrums had evaporated. I still feel a nostalgic twinge when I think back to Woods and the amazing experience it was for me, but I'm no longer down in the dumps about it being over. Excitement for and anticipation of the auditions I'm planning over the next few weeks has replaced that sadness.

The lesson seems clear to me: stay involved in community theater. It clearly makes me happy, happier than I would have guessed a year ago. It has the added bonus of being something that my wife also loves to do, giving us something we can enjoy together, and that makes it all the more valuable.  And now that I've washed the sadness away and gotten back to a happy frame of mind, it's nearly time to head out to the cast party for Into the Woods and hang out with all those crazy, awesome, talented, wonderful folks at least one more time. I'm very glad I have my excitement for the upcoming auditions to keep any returning sadness at bay.