I opted out of the theatrical world when I was four months pregnant with my oldest. I was a stage manager then, falling asleep on the 101 while driving home at midnight from gigs, which just didn't seem compatible with raising a child or being pregnant or staying alive. I keep my hand in now and then by doing the stuff that pays so little that no one else wants to take it on: directing a Christmas pageant or teaching acting to teens or writing scripts for short adaptations of the classics. The thrill of the production is lots of fun; I'll never forget the time last summer when my lead actress hurt her foot in the last rehearsal the day of the show and I thought I was going to have to go on, seven months pregnant, and play Peter Pan.
I miss it, and so it's fun to live vicariously through other members of my family. My sister and my cousin are opera singers. Several of my cousins have gone into theater-related careers. And then there's Cousin Jeff.
You remember Cousin Jeff. Greg Belmont, Emo Vampire Hunter? Yeah. He's got a new indie short out called Total Rewrite, about an actor who goes crazy and finds that his romantic comedy role has turned into an action fest. Jeff, as always, is the one with the hair.
Warning: got some language.
I must admit that at times, I wish I could find a way to stay involved in some aspect of the theater world, but I must also admit that I'm not totally comfortable with introducing my children to certain aspects of that world. If you had a young child interested in the theater, would you encourage them to explore it? (So far, none of mine have shown much interest, so this is all hypothetical.)
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