Why I Eat, Sleep and Breathe Theatre

I've always believed in magic. I would play dress up and pirates and princess for hours as a child. I remember being pretty upset when the truth was revealed regarding Santa and the Tooth Fairy. Little bits of magic were removed from my life in those moments. This belief in magic is why I think I am so drawn to the theatre.

I'm not quite sure when my love of the theatre began. I remember being drawn to performance from an early age. I used to perform dance with Junior Jazzercise. I remember standing in front of the fireplace with my sister and performing songs and dance for my parents growing up. I remember writing a play about princesses before I even knew what a play looked like. I wrote each characters lines on separate pieces of paper so each person could take their lines home... then I couldn't remember what order they went in. I remember being in my 3rd grade production of Twas the Night Before Christmas. I was one of the children with sugar plums dancing in their heads. I remember talking the boys in my gifted program in elementary school into making our gifted elective drama so I could be in a play. For me it feels like theatre has been with me from the beginning of time.

When I was registering for my high school electives I was either going to take drama or photography. What a different place we'd be right now had drama been full. A lot of the kids in my class were taking drama because they thought it would be easy. I think I knew better. I was pretty much hooked from the first day of class.

I was extremely lucky to have such an amazing instructor with John Milholland. He understood that we were capable of understanding the nuances of theatre. I learned so much from him. Things that I teach the kids I work with to this day. I learned about beatwork, moments, Harold Pinter and the ...pause...! I learned how to build a flat and the Aristotle's definition of ART. He introduced us to the empty chair exercise and taught us how to BE onstage and how to STOP ACTING. Theatre was a safe haven for me in my teens. I think like a lot of other girls my age I felt incredibly insecure, unconfident, odd yet plain, and unattractive. Theatre felt like a family where people understood everything I was going through. They allowed me to be myself, but to also push beyond myself. I know without having theatre in my life I would be in a very different place right now. If not for theatre, I might not even be HERE right now. It saved me.

Most of the kids who graduated with me went on to college to study different things. I knew that I was going to major in theatre. It was never even a question of what else I wanted to be when I "grew up." I took lots of other classes in college. Minored in psychology. Loved my sociology and anthropology classes, but I loved my theatre classes and being in rehearsal most of all. It was the magic of the theatre that kept me there day after day.

Theatre is one of the few things in this world that allows everyone involved in the experience to be transported to somewhere else. It takes the actors, the audience, even the designers and technicians into the world of imagination where anything is possible. Theatre has a tendancy to rip down the walls that we've put up in our lives, show us things we are afraid of, push us into the unknown and come out more experienced, wiser, braver. It brings a large group of people together to experience something together. A shared experience with strangers doesn't happen every single day.

Being able to share this magic with youth is an amazing experience unto itself. Watching kids see other kids on stage is one of my favorite things. Watching a kid make a "BIG CHOICE" for the first time and seeing the results is such an awesome moment. When a teenager realizes the honesty in themselves and what a beautiful and pure and giving thing that is to show to others in a theatrical moment is moving to say the least.

I know I'm good at other things in this world. I'm a good listener and I get along well in offices. I understand office tasks and how to write a short story. I can face groceries in a store pretty dang well too. I also know how to direct a play, and act in a show. I know how to paint fake bricks and how to read something in such a way that it grabs a persons attention. These latter things are the things that I am passionate about. In the past when I've worked in offices, I've always felt like the life was being choked out of my heart. I know that life is so much more stable. You don't take work home with you when you have a 9-5. When I'm working on a show, particularly if I'm in a show, I take that character home with me. It is a difficult life to say the least.

I just cannot see myself doing anything different. It's my magic.

Much love,
KB

Crossing Off

I've been amazed in the last week at what I've accomplished. In some ways it's not much, but in so many others it's a lot.

I went to the gym a couple of times with my sister, and we are planning on going more. I've always dreaded going to the gym in the past, but I think my sister is the perfect person for me to go to the gym with. She's supportive, but knows what to push and when to push.

Doug and I pushed, pushed, pushed through the inbetween Box on Saturday and got our mess under control. It was something that was weighing on me heavily, but now it's in a certain amount of order. It makes me so happy. I don't dread going in there now. I know we still have more in our POD, but at least now when that stuff arrives it's clearer where that stuff is going to go.

I've started making little baby steps to cleaning my apartment. I cleaned out a few drawers. I'm hanging my laundry when I bring it home. I'm taking the trash out more often. I feel like I'm taking time to enjoy my apartment more. Lounging in my bed Saturday and Sunday morning just reading was such a nice treat this week.

I think one of the things that has really happened this summer is I've taken more time for myself and to do the things that I want to do. Once our show gets started I've really got to make more of an effort to schedule that personal time for myself.

Oh! I got a job. It's 10 hours a week doing after care for Alice King Community Charter School. I've been needing to make some more money. I've been super broke as of late, so this will be super helpful in getting all of my financials back on track.

There are still a lot of things that I need to take care of, but with these little things being crossed off my to do list, I feel much more optimistic about their completion!

Love to you and a task done off your to do list!
KB

Accomplish Much?

Today I:

Taught sketch comedy writing
Figured out a display idea for our window
Did a lot of laundry
Went to the gym with my sister
Wrote a blog!

Feeling pretty good right now. Let's see if I can do it again tomorrow!

Happiness to you,
KB