Photo-A-Day #02623
Today was supposed to be the final performance of The Winter Wolf. Sadly, that did not happen. Our star, Emma, is in the hospital and the performance was cancelled. I'm trying to process what that means. My first thought is that I am a curse for performances. Every performance that I have been in for ACT has had an illness that would have cancelled the show. In the past two shows I stepped in to take on the role and the show went on. This time there is no way I could pass for a 13 year old girl. That was my dark humor trying to process this.
It is a loss. While being part of this show has been a major win for me. Finally getting a role in a performance that was not a one line walk on, walk off. Finally I had a very good role that I loved doing (even the dancing). My partner, Stephanie, was amazing. We had some great chemistry in our roles as Father and Mother. I had finally gotten a chance to shine on stage and it was fun. After 33 years away from the theater I had stepped onto the ACT stage last year as a juror. I then became the Jury Foreman. Then in the last show I had to step in as Cornwall Bellini because our director and star had gotten sick. The very next show that I was in was Sly Fox and in the first or second weekend I had to take on the role of Abner Truckle because the actor had gotten very sick and couldn't perform. It became a running joke.
Today feels very hollow. My parents were going to see the show. Finally getting to see me in a performance where I wasn't just in the ensemble. All those years supporting me in high school where if I worked hard enough I'd get a decent role my senior year. What happened with Grease my senior year has been a point of contention and bitterness for me for 30 years. I poured everything into auditioning for the role of Kinicki but didn't get it. Instead I was the understudy and that was fine but the thing that caused the bitterness was that the person who got the role messed up every performance, never came to rehearsal and was a jerk. Then the director said to me, "I should have cast you for this role." Yeah, you should have.
And with The Winter Wolf a director finally saw me as worthy of having a leading role. It meant so much to me to be a part of this cast. Not being able to perform one last time for family and friends hurts, a lot. Luckily, it won't make me turn from theater for another 30 years. I'm excited to audition for another show with ACT. I've certainly enjoyed my time there. I think my next show will be The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever. I loved that movie as a kid, the one with Loretta Swit.
We were going to go to House of Fortune after the show. Instead we went during the time when the show would have been going on. Mem and Grandfather stayed on the Cape as there was no point to come up for a show that wasn't happening. On the way back from lunch we stopped at ACT so I could pick up all the things that I contributed to the show. There Jeanne gave me the gift bag for the cast and Doug gave me a rather nice card. I am forever grateful that he gave me a chance to do this role and he was so pleased with my performance.
It is wet and rainy here so I put on my new shirt and snuggled on the couch with my new stuffed wolfie. Watched some shows with Allison, took a power nap. Just trying to keep a positive outlook. Our star appears to maybe be discharged from the hospital later on today. I hope that she has a speedy recovery. That is a lot for a kid to have to process and deal with.