Goodbye, Good Goody Girl

You win a few, you lose a few. Today's events certainly confirm that pithy phrase. We ran the entire show, which really went well. We are all so pleased to be in such a good place with it. This means that we get three more run-throughs before we give in to the tech rehearsal process on Monday! That was the winning part.

The losing part is that we say goodbye to a cast member today who has an illness which will just not allow her to continue to perform this season. To be more specific, I believe she has been battling mono and just needs to go home to recover. The schedule up here is most likely to blame for her illness, or at least it prevented her from ever recovering from what most likely started out as a common cold. This is just one of those schedules that is unforgiving and doesn’t really allow time for healing. At first it was decided that MILLIE would be her last show here, but that was before the seriousness of her condition was fully understood.

Not only is she most likely devastated and heartbroken by this (when she left rehearsal for the hospital she was in tears and afraid because she was having trouble breathing), but to see how this affected the rest of the company moved me. They are terribly saddened and shaken by this, however I do see some good that can come out of all of it: this might shake the rest of the company up and make them take care of themselves; something which may have not been a priority. At this point, however, it’s imperative. There are three more shows to rehearse and perform after MILLIE. Obviously, the schedule’s only going to get worse before it gets better, and not only don’t I want anyone else to have to leave the company, I also don’t want any of them to miss out on what a wonderful opportunity this summer has given them.

And, of course, this brings me to the next thing: leadership and example. I want to say something to my cast about how important it is that they take care of themselves and each other during this time, but I am immediately reminded of how I really resent those “take care of yourselves” speeches. The truth is, I resent the “take care of yourselves” speeches when they involve ultimatums and/or they are delivered by producers who have not one clue of what it is to be a performer and handle the schedule of a rehearsal process while balancing out everyday life. And I guess what insults me most about those speeches is that they’re often delivered as if the recipients were drooling, spastic idiots incapable of going to the bathroom by themselves. My cast, let me assure you, is no group of idiots. This is a very smart and loving group of people. So maybe all I do is reassure them that that is how I view them, and through that I express my confidence that they will support one another and themselves and just take care. I will add that in no way do I even think that the staff or producers here would even approach their acting company as anything less than intelligent and wonderful human beings, but sometimes hearing the “stay healthy” advice from a new face makes the difference. We all know I ain’t really the one to be giving out that advice, but I am now in the position as Director to do so. I think it comes with the job. We’ll see.

Restructuring the show is the priority for part of the day tomorrow, before our second run-through. It won’t be so hard, I think. We just have to move a couple people around here and there, reassign some dialogue, make a couple of dance cuts and we’re gonna be okay. Nonetheless, I will miss seeing our departed company member at rehearsals, but not nearly as much as her fellow actors will. She is indeed talented, enthusiastic and works very hard; doubly so through her illness. I won’t forget that. I wish her safe travels home and a speedy and restful recovery.

And with all sincerity and hopes for better health and catching up on sleep I say “Good Night!”