Stupid or Smart?

When I was in college, studying to be an actor, they required you to take a class in another discipline your sophomore year. I took stage management. I enjoyed it and I thought having another skill might make me more employable.

My Junior year I took lighting design and technology as an elective. Also enjoyable. Another diverse skill.

Years later, after making my break into the Houston theater scene with "Assassins", I picked up some Stage Management jobs as a way to introduce myself to various theaters. My fondest memory of that time was having an actor, who had been in "Assassins", see me working on a show as the SM and saying to me, "What a wonderful direction for you to go in!" Ah, memories!

Now, from my current vantage point, I wonder if that wasn't all a big mistake. Some people might agree. When they find out you are good at a non-acting skill that few people are good at, they begin to rely on you for the non-acting skill instead of the acting.

I have worked hard for people to see me as a diverse artist, capable of doing many things to be a working artist, but I am not performing as much as I would like. I am not getting the kind of work that I want.

So, I fear lighting and other general techie stuff will have to go on sabbatical. Sorry you two! Hope you don't get too rusty sitting there in the closet!

My friend Carol, the ancient yuletide troll, is making the big move to NYC at a time that many people would say is late in one's career. This is a very brave and scary thing.

Though I love NYC, and living there would definitely be an adventure, I am also devoted to the idea that one should be able to live in the provinces and survive as an artist. I have role models to follow and fellows who agree. But demands of jobs taken for my technical skill have gotten too much in the way.

Times they are a changing. I am a changing. It is time to not be afraid any more.

It could also mean I am a crappy actor, a second rate singer, and should be happy to be pushing the GO button on the light board in a cramped, stuffy booth. But enough of self pity...