Anxiety #1

Although my experience is limited, there seem to be times in every production cycle during which I find myself experiencing momentary periods of heightened anxiety. What was I thinking when I wrote such a complex and technically demanding play? We have so many light, sound and image cues, how can we possibly tech the show in only five days? What did I write that prompted the director to include so many quick costume changes? Why are hats so expensive? What are we going to do if our cast continues to succumb to the plague-like illness that has already felled nearly all of them? Then I remember to breathe, and remind myself how much fun I am having creating a production with so many talented, hard-working theatre-makers. I remind myself that I am here to learn, to grow, to explore new ways of expressing myself. I remember what Ann Bogart says about theatre: that it is "a gym for the soul, the intellect, the imagination and the emotions... The artist's job is to get in touch with the dark places of the soul and shed light there." Anxiety is one of those dark places, and so, I welcome it to the table. The end product be damned! I love the process, even on days like this.