Truthful Theatre

Sometimes, theatre can be a heartless mistress.

Those of you in theatre understand what I mean. Those of you who aren't familiar with the trials of the stage, I will explain  my latest reason. Rest assured, she redeemed herself in a way, but she is cruel none the less.

The reason I came to Waco this summer is to work with the Jubilee Theatre. They are a very small community theatre under the wing of Mission Waco who strive to revitalize Waco through the arts. I will be helping run some threatre camps for the children and youth, which I'm really excited for. Along with that, they are producing a full-length show this summer as well.

On Monday, however, that appeared to be off the schedule. The show we had been working on, "History Revisited Herstory," had been called off. Theatre is cruel. It dashes our dreams and aspirations to the ground and stomps on them.

The play is controversial. It is the story of this community and many more like it. It centers around a government owned low income apartment complex that is being closed. The families within the complex are faced with having to move and uproot the lives they know. Two pastors from the community, who they thought would help their cause of keeping the complex open are actually working against them. This, among other things, raises some major issues to sight, makes some people really uncomfortable.

It is the truth. And the truth is scary. People don't want to say the truth. Don't want to hear the truth.

I am still not sure why the play got pulled, I'm assuming there are multiple reasons why. Monday night Stevie (the guy who runs the threatre this season, the writer and director of "Herstory") told us all, and those of us who actually showed up for rehearsal were devastated. This was the reason I came to Texas. Stevie was in the same boat I was. What were we going to do with our summer?

Theatre is a heartless mistress, but our God is bigger.

Stevie was given permission to produce another show, "We Ain't Tha Huxtables." It's a smaller cast, so he's casting it from the people who were dedicated to the last production. It's funny, the audience will enjoy it, but it is pretty flat. It was the first play Stevie ever wrote, and he doesn't like it. Theatre for the masses is how he describes it. He likes the turn heads and cause thought. I think he's going to rewrite some of it.

So, my summer will not be void of the theatre. Actually, Stevie has asked me to act in the show. He's never seen me act. I don't really act anymore. It's kind of nerve-wracking. He expected me to jump right on board, but I haven't given him my final answer. He probably knows my answer. I'll probably do it. He's good at reading people like that. I'm nervous thinking about it...

Until next time, read a play, look for the moon, take a chance.