The Journey Begins

There are a million blogs out there. You can find answers and opinions about everything from how to write a blog to lists of all the ways you can be better at anything and everything. So why add a new one?

To be honest, I was told years ago that it was something I needed to do because I run a theater. That overwhelmed me and to be honest it still does. I don’t consider myself a good writer, but I feel like I’ve learned some things about theater that I would love to share. Perhaps I’ll talk a little more about everything that is involved in producing a play. Maybe I’ll talk about the journey to begin Overshadowed or the productions there. Or sometimes I’ll write about other productions around the area. Who knows? Maybe I can inspire you to go out and experience more theater on your own! At times, you just might learn more about me. And to be honest, I’m really hoping if I talk more about theater then maybe it will inspire more people to see theater or get involved in theater. Selfishly, I will want you to see how Overshadowed is different from other theaters and why I am so passionate about each and every thing we do.

Theater is personal to me. Life changing in every way.

1. The first movie I remember vividly was The Sound of Music. I was in fifth grade and my father told me that I could go if I wouldn’t cry when he told me he was being sent to Viet Nam.
2. The first live play I attended was ShowBoat. I really believe my Aunt Mary took me to get my mind off my father who was then in the war.
3. The first play I had the opportunity to audition for was You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I chickened out.
4. The next chance I got I auditioned and received chorus parts in both How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Godspell.
5. My high school had a very small drama department, but I did manage to have enough courage to join the drama club which meant I was one of about 6 other people who staged a small play. It’s terrible, but I can’t remember the name….

I was hooked. I knew that whatever I did with the rest of my life it had to involve theater. And I have never looked back.

Okay. You are thinking, “But you said it changed your life. How did it do that?”

1. It gave me self-confidence. Yep. I didn’t have ANY. In fact,  I didn’t even have enough confidence to even answer a question in class.
2. It taught me the importance of team work. In blogs to come I will say more about how a cast and crew can be like a sports team.
3. It  improved my communication skills. I had to have speech therapy when I was young. My parents would record me reading to encourage my speaking skills. As much as I loved to talk I had a hard time expressing my thoughts.
4. It strengthened my memory skills. Ask me about this! It’s one of my strongest skills! (Ok that sounded a little proud….let’s just say confident!)
5. It gave me appreciation for all of the arts. ALL art forms. Can I say again? Our God is an artist!!

And that’s just the beginning.

Here’s the plan. Blog at least once a week.  I’ve heard that it is more important to be consistent than to have multiple posts so I’m going to stick to something I think I can handle.  I am going to post every Monday morning. Here’s where my lack of technical experience comes in. I’m not sure I know how to schedule it exactly so I’m going to try to send it out between 10-noon. There’s always something rambling around in this old head so maybe there will be extra entries from time to time!

“I love it when you go to see something, and you enter as an individual, and you leave as a group. Because you’ve all been bound together by the same experience.”
― Tom Hiddleston

I might be taking the first step of this journey alone, but I hope as we travel together our experiences will form a brand new band of friends!

Thank you for joining me!

Reba