A Day in the Life as a Backstage Dresser

*Disclaimer - this was written on Sunday night - my how things change in a day*

I love theater...I really, really do. Maybe if I keep telling myself, I will believe it :)

I began performing onstage in Springfield, Illinois at the tender age of 10. As a puppet in a acid-induced production of "Pinocchio" at the Springfield Theatre Centre. Let me backtrack 3 months before then. I may have already posted this story, but what the hell - like I'm going to lose the 2 readers of this blog that I already have.

I come from an extreme musical family. I started violin lessons at age 4. My sister is the musical genius - plays more musical instruments (and plays them well, unlike me) than should be humanly possible. We were brought up on Mozart and Jesus Christ Superstar, for pete's sake. While dad was on "vacation" from singing with the Symphony Chorus, he decided with the help of Teresa Radlinski, the choir director at our church, to audition for the Springfield Muni Opera's production of "Jesus Christ Superstar". He was cast, and I was bitten by the theater bug. I thought, hey this is something that I could possibly do well. I couldn't sing worth a damn, so what could it hurt?

That's the reader's digest version. So, a Drama Queen was offically born!

As a true theater junkie, I've done my fair share of working backstage. Dresser, props, sound, lights, set building, set crew...whatever. I'm not picky. But for the last 8 years I kind of got my head blown up by playing some very interesting roles in Arkansas....The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Ruby Rae in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Maggie in The Shadow Box, Victoria in A Grand Night for Singing...just to name a few. So imagine my delight when I heard that Springfield Theatre Centre was going to put on Jekyll & Hyde. Wow. But we all knew who the leading lady was going to go to. I just assumed I'd be put in the chorus, since I would only have to miss a few weeks of rehearsal. So I put on my most suitable skirt & gold lame blouse...curled my hair up Texas-style...and belted out "Someone Else's Story" from Chess. Made one critical error. I forgot that Springfield doesn't see fat girls as leading ladies. Believe me, that's the last time I use a "touchy" song for an audition here ;)

Or maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe the reason why I wasn't cast is that I was just going to miss too much rehearsal. Because as good as the chorus is, I know I can go head-to-head with anyone of those women singing and acting. Sounds egotistical? Yeah, but I'm a friggin' thespian, what did you expect? I do have a diva attitude sometimes ;)

But I couldn't NOT work on that show in some capactiy. My father, whom I deeply admire and respect, was in the show. I hadn't been "in" a show with him since 1997. So when this guy asked me to be his dresser, I lept at the chance to be involved without having to move those massive set pieces.

So, here I was on Sunday afternoon...ready to go. Had my bravest game face on. Was prepared with a bowtie in one hand and a vest in the other. I was sooo prepared...time to show these people what kind of a uber-theater professional I have become...annnddd...

I friggin' crashed & burned. I hadn't adjusted the tie NOR the vest. Pfffttt...

The joys of live theater. What a professional I turned out to be.