Shakespeare coined the phrase, but I live it.

When I was in 5th grade, I made my stage debut as Prince John in Robin Hood. I cried for hours over losing the role of Maid Marian until I realized the part of the villain was one of the biggest, and so I welcomed that new-found exploration into the male psyche and worked as much magic as a 10 year old girl could muster.

And thus, my passion was born.

I didn’t get the opportunity to explore the stage much in middle or high school, but I did enter college with the intent to major in the performing arts. One acting class later and I was disillusioned. I decided that classes of pretending I was a washing machine or other household appliances was not up my alley, and thus on to education I went.

My heart never stopped beating for the stage, and after I moved to Hampton, VA in 2006 I decided to explore the community theater scene, as it is active and thriving in the 7 cities. I soon won the role of Shelby in Steel Magnolias, the first major production of my life. I realized then that my dormant passion was alive and well, ready to take on the slew of shows that followed.
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The stage is my happy place. It’s where I disappear and find perspective and possibility in characters whose lives are foreign to my own. But all too often, I find commonalities that resonate in uncomfortable places, forcing me to explore ideas and issues I have long kept at bay.
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When I made the difficult decision to follow a responsibility and move back to CNY, I left my heart and soul on the stages of Hampton Roads, where a piece of me still can be found when  my mind wanders off to memories of happy times. I finally found the stage again, briefly, in Syracuse NY. That was where I first saw Scott after 17 years, and though the stage brought me back to life after a few rough years, so did Scott.
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Now I am in one of the most incredible cities and my legs are itching to tread the boards again.  Nothing in the world can take the place of the warmth of lights upon my face at the start of a show, or the adrenaline rush of the audience’s reaction as they sit in the palm of the players’ hands.  Pure magic.

If I could go back and do it all over again, I’m pretty sure I would have run off at 18 to NYC to wait tables while pursuing the life of a starving artist looking for my big break. But since I am ridiculously happy with the way my life is right now, I’ll settle for perusing the local theater company’s websites :)

Happy Thursday, all.

-Al