When we emerge…

We are all suffering and I have seen the core of individuals blast to the surface; some heartwarming and some glacial, with ego’s fighting hard to swim upstream and conversely, hearts opening to others’ plight. I am sure both sides will have an opinion delivered to my email in the days and months to come. Yet, my decision comes from my gut and heart. I awakened two days before the final curtain email, knowing it was the best for all. I hadn’t even been thinking about a cancellation. It appeared when my eyes opened.

It wasn’t a difficult intellectual decision, nor was it a difficult emotional decision. After 27 years of excellence in production, thousands of students and their families who have memories and photo books filled with joyous moments, it was a necessary and ethical decision. It was the only decision.

Trusting we will not return to normal, whatever that was, ever again, I posit we have a unique moment in history, to try something different.  Back to basics.

Over ten years ago, I railed against the training that I named, ‘the march to production’ as I saw it taking over our community. The hard slog in becoming an actor or dancer was slowly being replaced with the golden carrot, a show, and maybe even a starring role. This became the method for attracting fresh youngsters eager for a new experience and parents ready for hours of interaction for their children outside of the classroom, as well as a modicum of financial breathing room for those in the business of getting rich, better known as a career in the performing arts. For those who believe that widely circulated rumor, there is zero truth to this one.

The multi-month rehearsal process became cheap day care for some. That was not the original goal, but that was the sniff in the air. It wasn’t a void of learning, yet it wasn’t the day-to-day study of acting or dance; more learn as you go, in your part and if you got hooked, you learned by listening to the lead, watching a director and maybe, with a touch of luck, osmosis kicked in.

The virus train has brought us screeching to a halt and arts organizations are folding like beach umbrellas in a sandstorm, fast and furious.  The strong will survive, not necessarily the best.  Time to pivot, yet again. Back to the basics.

With this decision to cancel a production, it is my belief the importance of the continuation of consistent training as the backbone of learning, understanding that real talent takes years nurture, success doesn’t  breed upon only the naturally gifted and it takes longer than the length of a video game to achieve results.  The important lesson is not the goal post of a show, it is in the years of dedication and determination.

With the world stopping, we look at where we were and where we want to be. In the olden days, a month or two ago, the mantra stated, ‘if we write our goals down, read them every day,’ viola!  You create the life you dream of. Yet we were too busy to think, much less write something down and review it day after day, fine tuning our reality to find a future finish line. There were places to go and work to finish and kids to take care of and take the dog to the vet and the gel nail appointment, and on and on and on.

It’s all ended, if only for a while.

We have a unique opportunity. The world has stopped, but we cannot get off. Or can we? Will the tidal wave of happiness  hit with your first Starbucks latte or visit to the gym?  Normalcy will be pitched on the wings of advertisers, yet beware. In no other time, unless you have the constitution of a Monk of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel, have we been so isolated from the Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma or Target.

As we emerge from the earth, eyes blinking like burrowing moles, we have a choice.