Full circle--that's my current motto--it's been almost fifteen years since I was last on stage at the Theater Project and I am exited to be a part of the multi-generational cast of the newest production of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream! My first play at TTP was also an all-ages show and was actually Wendy Poole's first production with the theater in 1994! Now we're back on stage as adults, the older of the multi-generations, and we're 10 days from opening night. We're still shaky and all...most...some...are off book... but Shakespeare is hard and there's no ad libbing, much to my husband's chagrin. But he's doing great with his lines after having read them into his Iphone and then listens on his commute to South Portland. We're also busy parents with hectic schedules and therefore multi-task and have spent more than one lazy Sunday afternoon tossing the football in the lawn and practicing lines. We have also worked lines back and forth while driving, cooking, and waiting in lines--garnering strange looks and occasional Google-checks for forgotten cues.Ten days out and I can officially say he's really getting command--ahem, Theseus--of his role. He chides me on the significantly less number of lines I have to memorize but I remind him of all the time I am on stage with nothing to say and that's a lot of space to fill with listening and reacting realistically. All in good fun!

We come to rehearsal each night leaving, as best we can, our work, school, families, children, and other responsibilities on School Street when we enter the front door and through the lobby and come into that sacred space and begin our work for the night.

Al is there, sitting on the steps in the theater with his notebook and his script, flanked by our ever-watchful stage manager Amanda and Kathy on book for lines, watching and listening. We all wait for his "Nice" and "Good!" comments and relish his nightly notes of encouragement and acknowledgement. Like all good teachers, his love for the work is contagious and inspiring.

The blue "worry beads" came out of Al's pocket last night and away they clicked as we did our first-run through of the play with most of the cast present, albeit one with a bandaged arm and another set to return from vacation. I asked Al at the end of the night if he were worried. No, he said brightly and then Amanda chimed in that they usually appeared about two weeks out...so I guess we're on schedule! Although many times throughout the rehearsal the reprise from the Shakespeare In Love movie came to mind--"everything's going wrong. no worries, it will all work out. how do you know? I don't. It just always does."