Another ending...

 

On the final curtain call of Robin Hood, I seriously cried my eyes out. I want to thank this beautiful community for supporting our Trine University Theatre. It was an amazing weekend to say the least.

On Thursday morning I was on pins and needles anticipating the 600 students coming for the show. I didn’t need to worry. Jenn LaRose at Trine had everything organized including a seating chart for each school. We were all backstage when the kids started coming in and the air in the T. Furth Center for the Performing Arts was absolutely electric! I have to admit I did peak through the curtain to see all the children. (Okay, to be fair, I always peak!) They were laughing and talking and enjoying each moment. I am sure many of them had never been inside the Furth, let alone come to a play.

At precisely twelve noon, I took the stage, and they all became quiet. Of course, I thanked them for coming, and then talked about the show. I invited them to help out in the audience with the “boo hiss” for the evil prince. They were delighted to help out. It only took one practice to get them going. Not only did they holler out, but all thumbs were down for him. Luckily, our prince is a happy guy, and it didn’t really bother him…too much!!

The students were a delightful audience. They high fived the cast as they walked by. My lovely cast chatted with each student as they left. I was so proud of them for such a great performance and for spending that time with them.

We had a quick lunch downstairs, and I sent them all home to nap before the call for the evening show. Some did leave, but others sprawled out on the stage and slept. I worked on the power point as they napped. It felt a little like camp! Who doesn’t like a nap in the middle of the day?

By evening they were ready to go again. If you can’t tell, I am so proud of these students. I am also proud of our community for coming to the shows and supporting them. There was a standing ovation on Friday night, and I thought my heart would burst with happiness. Following that show the cast brought me and Lydia, assistant director, and Connor, stage manager and tech guru, up to the stage to thank us and present flowers to the two of them and an autographed copy of the cast to me. Yes, I cried again.

One more show on Saturday, and I was stunned it was over. It seems as if we should just be able to go on and on doing this show with this cast. The truth is, I will miss them so much. We spend so much time together and then it is over. We still have the cast party tonight at my house and that is always so much fun. Muriel will draw a character on the wall, and they will all sign it, Whenever I feel like missing them, I know they are just a walk down my hallway.

We cleaned the theatre on Sunday. I stay after everyone is gone just to check everything. I sweep the stage, check the dressing rooms, double check everything and just sit in silence letting all the memories wash over me.

Theatre, storytelling, music are all important to all of us. You can’t really take us home with you. There is nothing to touch or put on the mantel. It is all about the experiences we give to each other, really. It is also part of the experience of a shared event. The arts are incredibly important to us as a town and as a society.

There is a lovely Gaelic word, Ceilidh. It is pronounced “kay-lee.” It means a gathering of folks for a social event. It could be a dance, a poetry recital, a theatrical show, or a musical event. It comes from the rural area of ancient Scotland where getting together any night of the week to play music or read poetry or read theatre pieces is important. The folks in rural Scotland knew this to be part of their culture, and I am sure they looked forward to it every day.

When you come to the theatre, we also share in those experiences. From all of us at Trine, thank you for coming to our Ceilidh this past weekend.