Well, it's done. (Except for grading, that is.) My last day of teaching for this term and the end of my third year of drama ministry at Rosebud. It was a brilliant sunny day (I sound like Lettice) and we had our traditional photo shoot. -That's why everyone is wearing the same outfit. I will miss these students. They were very engaging, fun, and full of some great ideas. I enjoyed playing with them and spurring them on. They did a lot of small performances throughout the term and rarely complained. I especially loved their imaginative daring and childlike glee. I wish them all well in their respective futures and hope to see many of them come back! Lettice and Lovage is still going up and down with house numbers, but I believe my performance is holding. When we have a smaller house, I allow more subtlety and less vocal effort. It's been good to explore these nuances a bit and save myself. Some fresh line readings have been emerging in a way that feels right. But we can all sense the machine is winding down. Only three weekends left of a long run. I hope to champion this character and play beyond that. Yesterday the bus driver of a large group beckoned me onto his bus to say hello to the 60+ patrons. He gave me the microphone and I stood there in my false gray hair looking into a sea of real white heads and tried to thank them for coming. Then I wanted to give something to them, to identify that they are the ones who really know about triumphing over feeling isolated and left out: irrelevant, and rising to inspire others with their souls showing... I don't know what they heard, or if they even recognized me. But I did it, and I still believe in it. Clambering onto a bus and thanking the patrons is good for the soul... mine.
It's a bit like drama ministry. It's free, bare, humble, and full of intention. --Something we can do every day.
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