T'was Nine Nights After Christmas...

If you have followed this blog recently, you know I have left out a major update; how the one night reading performance of "T'was the Night Before Christmas" went. The truth is a lot of unpredictable things went on not after the show, and after Christmas itself, that updating on this blog got left quite far behind.

I will say, simply that the reading did go well. It was, in fact, a packed house. Most of them were children hoping to talk to our Santa Claus, who stayed afterward for pictures and such. Nonetheless, everyone present, parents as well as children seemed to enjoy our short presentation.

There is talk of presenting similar short readings, while acted out by others, for different stories throughout the year. I'd be in favor. I'd even like to be the sort of go-to narrator of such productions. Not for ego's sake, but I just feel like "that guy." The wing-back chair, the glass of wine the (fake) fireplace. The story telling aspect. Not all such possible reading would be as short as this one was, (ten minutes or so) but all of them would require minimal time investment from audience and cast/crew.

I'd never want to give up being in full shows. I sort of wish I were in one now, in fact, as a means to recover from some recent chaos I have been through at home. But being in real shows doesn't preclude the possibility of these little story tellings here and there. All of course would depend on the management of the Black Box Arts Center, but they have already expressed a similar hope for the future anyway.

Not every story is for every actor. But every actor, every theatre person in fact, a storyteller. Different jobs help with different aspects of the stories, but it is all pursuant to story. People in theatre only enhance their ability to tell the big stories by showing a willingness to tell the small, fast ones well.

Perhaps 2018 will allow for a possibility of more such stories between the bigger stuff. (Though all of us involved in this one would hope for just a tad more rehearsal time next go around.)

You'll know right after I know, loyal blog readers, if I'm involved in such a thing again.