If you are an avid reader of SchutzHappens… you’ll already know I have a tendency to get on a topic and jump on it until there’s nothing left. So, please forgive my current preoccupation with my theatre past. Mother’s Day marked my 10 year graduation anniversary from the College of Charleston… which I guess is some sort of milestone… or at least it has spawned a certain amount of reminiscing.
Beyond it being 10 years since CofC… this year also marks 17 years since my first stage performance. Even though the anniversary doesn’t actually take place until November and it certainly isn’t a nice round number worth celebrating… the realization of 17 years and its close proximity to 20 years is baffling to me. And the numbers are simply ridiculous. If you were to take the number of shows I worked on and divided then by 17, I can still boast an average of 4 shows a year for the last 17 years. When I step back and look at that it feels pretty crazy.
At one point my average was up to 6 shows per year, but I cut back after meeting Serena… and I cut back more after become a father… and now? Well, I haven’t even been active in the theatre community for over two years.
When I joined this wacky Foreign Service machine I left it all behind, completely… walking away from my creative outlets. Shockingly, this seemed to worry quite a few people other than myself. “What are you going to do?” Well… I don’t know… I guess something different.
Some people ask, “Don’t you miss acting?” I guess… maybe a little bit… but not really. Performing is a huge time commitment… and even if you land a paying gig, you’re still working during the day. Time is precious, right? I think we all grow up and our lives end up taking new directions.
When I used to teach I would always tell my kids one very specific thing, “don’t get too attached to one idea of how your life is going to turn out… while you’re busy working towards that… you might miss a really great opportunity.” Granted, when you teach theatre you’re dealing with 30 kids who all ‘know’ they’re going to be ‘discovered’ and become famous actors before they get ‘old’ and turn 22. I know because I was one of those teenagers.
Anyway, at the time I was dishing out this Tony Robbins-esque fortune cookie advice, I really didn’t know what the heck I was talking about. But, it sounded good… and it helped put things into perspective for my kids. And now? I just think it’s really cool that I had the opportunity to take my own advice.
I don’t know if any of my former students actually read this blog, but about a year ago I received an email from one after hearing about my transition into the Foreign Service and my move to Belgrade. She wanted to point out the truth behind Oscar Wilde’s quote, “Life imitates Art more than Art imitates Life”. Her example? Me.
While teaching at Walton High School, I directed Woody Allen’s “Don’t Drink the Water”. The play takes place in an American Embassy located in a non-descript Eastern European country. Eight years later… well… you know the end to that story… I guess I ‘won’ that Oscar I’ve always had my eye on after all. ;)
Beyond it being 10 years since CofC… this year also marks 17 years since my first stage performance. Even though the anniversary doesn’t actually take place until November and it certainly isn’t a nice round number worth celebrating… the realization of 17 years and its close proximity to 20 years is baffling to me. And the numbers are simply ridiculous. If you were to take the number of shows I worked on and divided then by 17, I can still boast an average of 4 shows a year for the last 17 years. When I step back and look at that it feels pretty crazy.
At one point my average was up to 6 shows per year, but I cut back after meeting Serena… and I cut back more after become a father… and now? Well, I haven’t even been active in the theatre community for over two years.
When I joined this wacky Foreign Service machine I left it all behind, completely… walking away from my creative outlets. Shockingly, this seemed to worry quite a few people other than myself. “What are you going to do?” Well… I don’t know… I guess something different.
Some people ask, “Don’t you miss acting?” I guess… maybe a little bit… but not really. Performing is a huge time commitment… and even if you land a paying gig, you’re still working during the day. Time is precious, right? I think we all grow up and our lives end up taking new directions.
When I used to teach I would always tell my kids one very specific thing, “don’t get too attached to one idea of how your life is going to turn out… while you’re busy working towards that… you might miss a really great opportunity.” Granted, when you teach theatre you’re dealing with 30 kids who all ‘know’ they’re going to be ‘discovered’ and become famous actors before they get ‘old’ and turn 22. I know because I was one of those teenagers.
Anyway, at the time I was dishing out this Tony Robbins-esque fortune cookie advice, I really didn’t know what the heck I was talking about. But, it sounded good… and it helped put things into perspective for my kids. And now? I just think it’s really cool that I had the opportunity to take my own advice.
I don’t know if any of my former students actually read this blog, but about a year ago I received an email from one after hearing about my transition into the Foreign Service and my move to Belgrade. She wanted to point out the truth behind Oscar Wilde’s quote, “Life imitates Art more than Art imitates Life”. Her example? Me.
While teaching at Walton High School, I directed Woody Allen’s “Don’t Drink the Water”. The play takes place in an American Embassy located in a non-descript Eastern European country. Eight years later… well… you know the end to that story… I guess I ‘won’ that Oscar I’ve always had my eye on after all. ;)
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