"Why?"

  

I often have people ask me why I love musical theatre-- or live performance for that matter.  It's mostly people who know me really, really well, and for that reason can see the depths to which I love it.  To be completely honest, I don't remember a moment that I decided it's what I wanted to do with my life; how I wanted to bring Glory to my Creator.  I have no idea what possessed my parents to sit me down in front of The Sound of Music, or Singin' In the Rain, or Oklahoma!.  But I was hooked.  I am hooked.  I can't really explain why I love it.  It's just a part of who I am.  As I watched those movies, saw those plays and sang those songs, I soaked it in.  It's like air to me.  Silly, I know.  But its true.  It makes my world better. 

As I participated in Seven Brides these past few months, I thought about this question a lot.  It took up so much of my time, so much of my energy, so much of my SLEEP!  But yet I never complained, it never crossed my mind to complain.  I was, for the most part, excited to go to rehearsal every night.  As we began performances, it became clear that the show was going to be a hit.  Opening night sold out, then the next night sold out, and then the next, until all the shows were sold out and we had to add an EXTRA performance which sold out within 48 hours. A big deal for our little theatre.  I think I realized a big part of why I love theatre on that last day of performances.  Obviously, the house was packed and the audiences were great.  In our little theatre, it's easy to sneak a peak at faces in the audience if you're careful; which although it's not "allowed," is something I can't resist.  I think theatre, music, live performance is what people need.  Human interaction.  Interaction with the people on stage, with the people sitting beside you, laughing with you, clapping with you.  A break from TV, computers (as I sit here typing this--guilty), cell phones, iPods, video games.  A break from the lifeless culture we live in so much of the time.  And while I, in no way, think any of those things that I listed are inherently bad, I do think we, myself included, are consumed by them.  

So that's part of it, the rest I can't explain.