15 years and 1500 miles . . .

I'm tired. Really tired. I'm trying not to get a cold/flu sort of thing. And I've been dealing with some ongoing dental issues, too. Just sort of "blah".

But I FEEL GREAT!

It's been years, and years since I did any theatre at all. Almost 15 years, actually. Not since the Phoenix Theatre closed it's doors in Lubbock, Texas back in the mid-nineties. Ah, the Phoenix. What fun we had! I loved working with that group of people in that old dry-cleaner's building! (and later in the strip-mall storefront). And on top of having loads of fun, we routinely turned out some really REALLY good shows.

And before that, it was the American Southwest Theatre Company and Opportunities for Creative Theatre Students, both based at New Mexico State University. Wow. Lots of fond memories of doing great (and sometimes not so great) theatre with really fun, talented people.

After the Phoenix closed, I moved to Dallas and got a job working Monday through Friday, eight to five. And I discovered that I REALLY liked having my evenings and weekends free. I looked into working with a couple of the theatre groups in Dallas, but they really didn't seem interested in what I had to offer at the time. So I just put the idea aside, and kept on enjoying those nights and weekends, and sometimes I enjoyed them by seeing theatre.

And then of course, in 2003 I met Scott, and by 2004 we were living in Central Florida. After a couple years, Scott auditioned for some local shows, and got cast. So I started to go see him perform and got to meet some of the people he was working with.

Recently, Scott introduced me to a group of people that has that same feeling that we had at the Phoenix. Sort of a family, sort of an eclectic cocktail party, sort of a learning experience; all kinds of fun. I kind of jumped in with both feet. I'll be returning to the stage this week with a couple small roles in Shakespeare's MacBeth with the Moonlight Players. My first time performing Shakespeare, by the way. And once MacBeth opens, I'll be stage-managing a production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (in which Scott is playing the lead!) which opens in January, and it looks like I'll be assistant directing All the Great Books . . . Abridged next summer.

In the meantime, some of the awesome people we've met at Moonlight have started an Improv/Sketch Comedy troupe called Team Chelsea, and we'll be doing a murder mystery dinner at a local pub in November, and are submitting an application to do an original show which I'll direct at the Orlando International Theatre Fringe Festival in May.

No wonder I'm tired!

So there it is. 15 years and 1500 miles later . . . it feels like I've found my way home.