Scroogey

What do you do when you step outside of your comfort zone in theater? Ridiculous question, that; for, supposedly, if you're doing things well, you're constantly pushing the limits of your abilities and discovering new ways of thinking, being, and approaching the art and craft. I do have to say, though, that there is a big difference between being adventurous within a comfort zone, and being adventurous by leaving a comfort zone.

By example, I recently participated in a fun theater fundraiser (still have two more performances, actually) that involved teams of actors, writers, and directors who wrote and staged 10 minute plays in 24 hours. We received the general theme, one required line of dialogue, and one required prop at 6pm on a Friday, were divided randomly into 8 teams (one writer, one director, 2-3 actors), and were sent off on our own. The scripts were due at 6am, and the actors and directors had until 6:30 (the call time) Saturday evening to stage the show and memorize lines. I opted to act this time (definitely within my comfort zone), but when the writer asked if there was anything that we had never done on stage but that we really wanted to try, I said, "I want my character to sing. Something easy, but I want to sing." And so he wrote in a reference to South Pacific and I sang a bit of Bali Hai. The first night I lost the tune and half of the words while waiting backstage for my entrance (I had never heard Bali Hai before , and so had learned it along with the rest of my lines that day). The second night, I was pleased with my performance. I had stretched myself, but not leaped, so to speak.

I'm also stage managing a swell children's musical, and frankly, stage managing is not squarely within my comfort zone. I know the stage and rehearsal process from an actor's perspective, and it makes me a bit nervous to switch gears. I don't mind not being in the spotlight every time (that's truly not why I enjoy acting anyway), but I dislike uncertainty. I don't mind stepping up to the plate to fill in where needed, but I like to know that I'm doing my job, and a stage manager's job (at least in local/regional theater) seems so ambiguous to me until the performances start. This is, admittedly, a weakness on my part (no pun intended, of course). In this particular case, the process has been harder for me than it might otherwise have been, because I'm working with a new company -- which means new people (in particular, a new director) and new expectations. To put the icing on the cookie, the rehearsal process has been fast and furious. These kinds of new things are definitely not my forte, but I hope that this leap will prove beneficial to both me and the show.


Moral? There isn't one. Theater is exciting and unexpected in so many ways. I'm pleased whenever I step out of my box and try something different for me. And I'm terribly, unbelievably excited at the prospect of my 6 year old seeing the cool musical that his mom supported, despite her weak management skills. Go on: step out, take a risk, and be humbled and amazed.