“I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.”
-Henry David Thoreau
I’m borrowing this quote from our director Jenna’s latest email to the cast. I’ve been seeing sparrows everywhere lately, especially when I’m walking my daughter to camp in the morning. They are usually in a group of five or six and I’ve come to recognize their chirping, their little hops and short arcs of flight. As I write this blog entry (my very first!), it occurs to me that our ensemble is comprised of six actors and like the sparrows, I’ve become attuned to all our different sounds and movements as we’ve played together in the rehearsal room.
It’s the morning of Opening and I’m thinking of the strange alchemy that takes place when a show goes from something private to something public. There’s a part of me that would like to rehearse forever (and this has been an especially exciting process–new pages! cuts! another character or three!) or to have a few previews at least. But this is the Fringe. Our one and only day of tech is today and it’s three hours long. And then we open a few hours later, our first time in front of an audience.
So–amidst the high chatter of my anxiety, I’m going to take a breath and remind myself how grateful I am that this extraordinary play and the people who are making it possible have alit upon my shoulder. Truly, I am distinguished by this circumstance.
HAPPY OPENING!