We heard him bellowing, but couldn't see him at the back of the darkened theatre. We were all onstage, nervous during a dress rehearsal. The opening night of the play was almost upon us.
He was still yelling, as he took the stairs two at a time, down to the front of the stage, leaping in his uncontrolled fury. We had stopped reciting our memorized lines, wondering what was happening and why our beloved drama coach was shouting at us.
He paused, slightly out of breath, (it was the year of his retirement after all!). He was finally able to shout with his fists clenched: "Would SOMEONE kindly EXPLAIN to ME, WHERE EXACTLY in the PLAY, IPHIGENIA IN AULIS, WRITTEN by EURIPIDES in ANCIENT GREECE...WHERE does he mention WEARING a TIMEX WATCH?!"
I was a Member of the Chorus, one of the "Greek Women of Chalcis", in a light blue flowing gown. The only item on my arm was a twisted bracelet, gleaming with a fresh coat of shiny gold paint to reflect in the lights.
It turns out that it was one of the Soldiers, pulling a wheeled carriage from behind the curtain onto the stage. In his rush to dress in armour and slather body paint on exposed arms and legs, he had forgotten to remove his watch. He shrugged and said, "Sorry."
Oh dear! This situation was most certainly NOT going to end with a simple apology. We were all told to SIT on the stage. IMMEDIATELY. We dutifully sat, waiting for more shouting to ensue.
When someone is angry, the more quietly they speak, the more terrified you become. We had to strain to hear our drama coach as he whispered, "It ALL matters: you are creating a moment in time that has disappeared and it has to be believable..." He went on and of course I've paraphrased the dialogue as many decades have passed, but the lesson itself never left me. In whatever we do, we must take full responsibility for what we create.
I have been told by well meaning friends that editing this blog isn't necessary. A sentence, driving me to distraction because I can't find just the right words to describe something, "isn't worth worrying about." Well, for me, it matters. You can blame my drama coach, God rest his soul.
If it is a painting or a sentence or a hat that I've knit, when I put it out into the world, it's the best that I can produce as of that moment in time. My work will always evolve, hopefully continuing to improve, but if you see it here, it's the best I can make at this stage of my creativity, because it ALL matters.
Thank you for spending this time with me,
Lori xx