Farewell to Theater, For Now

Emily Beck, our outstanding Anne Frank, takes a picture with me at the end of our run of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Ah, theater!  I love it so!

Sometimes mistakes happens, but that is part of the live energy of community theatre.  I wore my yarmulke a whole scene after I was supposed to have taken it off.  I walked in on the wrong scene.  Lines were skipped or miffed, props sometimes forgotten or emerging in the wrong place.

But I love it.  Every second of it.  Especially a story like this, with such an important message.  You would think something as powerful as the holocaust would not fade with time.  But I ran across people who were unfamiliar with the Anne Frank story, and were vague about the holocaust and what happened.  But we cannot forget.  We cannot allow this to be repeated.

Like many local productions, the crowds we had were receptive and supportive, but you always hope for more people to see and connect with it.  Live theater, unless it is a large cast musical, tends to not attract sold out crowds.  It is still more than worth it.

This play means a lot to me.  It is a favorite from high school - a well bonded cast making a powerful statement.  This time, it was the same time.

And it is good to have this wonderful feeling about this, as I am planning on taking a break from theater for awhile.  If I have to take a sabbatical, it is satisfying to leave on such a high note.

But for now, I must concentrate on other things.  I need to prove to myself that if I retire in 20 months, that I can make the supplemental income I need from something besides working accounting part time.  Community theater, as much as I love it, is not part of that mix.  Writing, as far fetched as that may seem to some, is, and I need to concentrate on seeing if I can make it a money maker.  It doesn't need to be a lot, but enough to justify the time I spend on it.

I am not starting from ground zero.  I have two completed novels (never-ending editing and fussing aside), numerous other writings of other kinds (I have some short stories, but also over 1,200 blog entries, including essays, autobiographical writings and poetry).  It is a matter of focus as to how to best publish and make money from them.  I have posted one story as an eshort on Amazon, and so far it has made me $4.67.  Interesting, but not enough to retire on.

If I can figure this out, prove to myself that I won't have to do accounting in retirement, than I will return to community theater with great enthusiasm.  I apologize to my friends at WACT (Waycross Area Community Theater) and all of those who enjoy working with me in plays.  Theater has been a real life saver for me, helping to make all these years I have had to play the role of "accountant" tolerable.  Having that creative outlet has meant more to me than you can possibly imagine.

But it is time now to focus on something else.  Foolish or not, I have to try.

Wish me luck.

As they say in WACT - 

Merde!