Week 3:
1st Stage Theatre

December 31, 2013

Well, 2013 is coming to a close. And it’s not the only thing. The last performance of Noises Off was on Sunday, and now it’s time to start on our next show: Souvenir. Before I comment on how much I’m going to enjoy the next leg of the journey, I have to comment on how much I’m going to miss the current show. Noises Off had 9 actors and 2 members of run crew, all of whom were extremely talented and hardworking.

I had a chance to shadow one of them at her current 9-5 job. She let me shadow her at her Patron Services Manager job, giving me another opportunity to see another part of the theatrical world. One of the actors literally had tears in her eyes at the thought of closing the show. There were several actors that I’d only had a couple conversations with, but hope to stay connected with—and maybe even see their next shows.

But the magic of theatre is also that the show runs its course. Everyone eventually gets tired of doing the same things every night. Like everything that is worth doing, there is a sadness and nostalgia that come on closing night. The beauty of theatre is that there are so many freelance artists who get to move around all the time. Staying at one theatre in Front of House for only two months, I will get to know the casts and crews of two different shows. It’s amazing how different every theatrical experience is while still operating under the same general procedures. They say that as one door closes another always opens.

And, in the spirit of the New Year, I want to resolve to continue making connections with new people all over DC.