Anne Blackburne

It’s a thing!

Something I do to have fun when I’m not writing or working at my day job as a newspaper editor is direct and act in community theater productions.

I’ve loved being on stage, pretending to be someone else, since first grade when I played a Cookie Child in an elementary school production of “Hansel & Gretel”.

My next opportunity came in fifth grade, when I was one of the Ladies of the Beautification Society in a production of “The Saga of Dead Dog Gulch”. I can still sing the song! You can ask next time we meet.

Fast forward to high school and college, and I was either in or working behind the scenes of every show I could, which usually meant twice a year.

Years later, after I was married and had children of my own I got back into community theater, with my kids for many years, and then by myself. I played parts large and small in shows such as “Carousel”, “The Sound of Music”, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, “Annie”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Shrek”, “Beauty & The Beast”, “Nunsense”, “Mama Mia”, “Mary Poppins”, and many more. I also spent years playing all kinds of parts in a local outdoor drama depicting the Passion of the Christ, called “The Living Word”. I loved every minute of all of it!

Eventually I decided to learn to produce shows, and then to direct. Now I direct (and sometimes) produce at least one play per year, often playing a part as well.

It’s my playground! I love it. One of the things I enjoy most is providing a safe place for people young and old to come have fun. It’s a non-judgmental space open to people of all kinds, where it doesn’t matter what religion you are, or what political party you belong to, or what race you are, or what socio-economic group you come from, or anything else.

I just finished a production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”, in which I played the crabby Lucy VanPelt. What a fun part in a show full of challenging, amazing music! The best part of this show, in my opinion, is that it consisted of a mostly senior-citizen cast. The joke where Linus tells Charlie Brown that it is his grandfather’s birthday, and marvels that at 63 years old his grandfather is still alive, was especially amusing since the Linus delivering the line is himself 65.

Yesterday was our final show, and for the first time since mid-August, I don’t have to go to play practice three or more times per week.

The show came at a good time for me. As many of you know, I lost my oldest child to a long-term illness in late July. It was good for me to have something to do. And the small cast show full of people who have grown to be my friends over many years of doing theater together, and my brother, who played Charlie Brown, was just what I needed.

If I was having a tough day, they didn’t judge. And everyone was so experienced they all helped this show along. I wasn’t left to direct it all by myself. As always when I do a musical, I have someone much more qualified run music rehearsals ( in this case, a wonderful woman who also conducts our live orchestra), and teach choreography. I am NOT a good choreographer, and I am NOT a good dance teacher.

So I have to credit the whole cast and my music and dance folks for sort of running this particular show by committee. I’m usually a very decisive director who doesn’t need much input from others. That was NOT the case this time.

I’m blessed to have such amazing people to work with.

At the beginning of this post I mentioned Post Show Let-Down. To explain, whenever a show closes out, the first thing I feel is relief. I have my life back!

This is followed by something commonly known in the community theater world as post show let down, or post show depression. It’s a real thing, where actors feel suddenly bereft because the social whirl of putting on a show is over, and suddenly they aren’t seeing the people they’ve spent so many hours with over the last several months.

It generally lasts about two weeks, at least for me. Coming into this holiday season, the first without my oldest daughter, will be difficult. I’m glad I had this show and these friends to help me up to this point.

Now I must forge ahead in healing with my family, and by myself. It’ll be okay. I’m blessed with a wonderful, supportive family; with amazing friends; with a terrific church community; with excellent co-workers. But still, I think Thanksgiving and Christmas will be tough. A lot of “firsts” to get through in the year after losing someone dear.

But I just signed a new book contract, and I have to write a play this winter that I will direct and act in next fall. So, life goes on.

Post show let-down is a thing, but all actors know it’ll pass soon enough. And there’s always another play coming up! If you’re looking for a wonderful hobby that will bring you out of your shell and introduce you to many new people, community theater could be right for you.

Don’t want to get on stage? No problem. All theaters are looking for people who like to work behind the scenes building sets, sewing costumes, painting scenes, running tech, organizing props, etc.

Trying to find a community theater? In Ohio, we have the Ohio Community Theater Association. I’m willing to bet most states have one. Check Facebook. You can just type ‘community theater’ into the search bar, and see what pops up.

As we say in the theater, break a leg!