This week's patrons could very easily be next week's entertainment. All that's missing is the colesium!

There is a particular point in every director's process. It's called the "there's so much to do and so little time I don't know why I ever thought this was a good idea I want to spend the rest of the money in my bank account to buy a plane ticket to as far away as I can afford and never talk to anyone who has ever known me ever again and become a bum and die alone on the street" point. I reached that point tonight, and had a breakdown in the lobby of the PHTS third floor that involved me filling the pages of my Tongues notebook with frustrated capital letters, charts of what has/needs to happen ("Voices in Various Stages of Completion, aka: The Panic Chart"), lists (including "Ideas for When I Inevitably Run Out of Inspiration"), angst, angst in Latin, commands to myself, storyboard drawings, attempts at storyboard drawings crossed out with things like "mist, glitter, fog" written next to them, diagrams, written explanations of journey, and whinings about how I just want to go back to Black Mountain.

Then, I went to rehearsal (which I haven't had in far too long). And when I said, "Okay, let's look at the Voice from the Dead," my Speaker said, "Oh, great! I worked on this yesterday!"

LOVE. Pure LOVE.

Remember that whole thing about taking care of people? Even in my breakdown, I wrote, "...You have a wonderful cast who loves you and will work really hard and are enormously forgiving. They will take care of you." And the people who came up to me and nonchalantly asked how I was doing without expecting the response they got (poor unfortunate souls) mentioned, "But you've got a phenomenal cast," and I was able to say, unfailingly, "YES." Casting has always been a strength of mine. Cast well and 90% of your battle is fought. This cast is a dream. (They WANT to rehearse over Thanksgiving break. I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM!)

Especially with this being my first upper-level directing project, it is incredible to feel so well taken care of by my cast. I know a lot of actors who fear directors, are intimidated by directors, or feel otherwise distanced because of the "theatrical hierarchy" that tends to place directors above actors, but it's good to keep in mind that any collaboration involves caring for each other. You care for your co-workers... you can also care for your boss.

Tongues opens in three weeks.

I have my production meeting and final class presentation in a week.

We load-in on November 29th.

Bring it.