check done

It's the running joke that any time we get done with something at school, Wes (who directs everything with me) and I call my mom to tell her, "Check, done." 

This weekend was another one of those.  We put on Elton John's Aida and although I'm very glad to have that 'check and done', it was a really great show.  It's rare that I get really moved by performances, mainly because I do so many of them throughout the year.  But Saturday night was an exception and you could have found me in the sound booth at any moment crying my eyes out.  If you've never seen the show, it's a beautiful and tragic Egyption love story, much like Romeo and Juliet but with a twist and reallly fun music to boot. 

Let's keep in mind that we do a lot of shows at Norris and they always go pretty well and are highly attended, etc. because we have a really supportive community.  But Saturday night was just...different.  The set wasn't that crazy or anything like that, but we had some performances where for the first time I thought to myself, "Oh my goodness.  They really get it."  And after watching them do this and seeing that, especially after what will most likely go down as one of the hardest years in my teaching/personal life, it was so emotional for me.  It was also fun to watch one of our sophomores, who has talent bigger than she realizes, perform in a lead role that I didn't think was possible.  At the end of it, she cried, I cried, and then I thought to myself, "Jill, you need to remember moments like this because this is why you do what  you do."

So as I'm writing this blog and not working on my overwhelming paper, I'm trying to remind myselfof that.  I had a long conversation with some of my students prior to this show weekend about why we do what we do in the performing world.  In the end, it's not the recognition or the literal and figurative drama that always comes with things like this.  Art in any form is about connecting with yourself and others.  And I was reminded this weekend that theatre in any way, shape, or form for me is my way to do that.  It's how God made me.  And it was really nice to know that it's still the part of me that comes alive even in the midst of feeling so unlike myself for the past few months. 

Thanks for reading this post that seems more like my journal I guess.  My journal that I spilled water all over last week.