Learning to Program

One of the actors in Gaieties contacted me the other night to tell me that as head writer I needed to write something for the program. In all my anticipation for the show, this detail had completely escaped me, and I felt immediately concerned about the short notice. I've never been good at writing under pressure. Especially writing alone under pressure. But, more than that, there is no possible way for me to capture and convey what being the head writer of Gaieties meant to me. It wasn't about ascending to a leadership position in an activity I cared about, it wasn't about writing a good play, it wasn't about honing my skills. Writing Gaieties was my most poignant experience of common consciousness, group ethos, zeitgeist. I felt like I was working to create something that people wanted, that people were hoping to be a part of, or, at the very least, enjoy. But, that was only the beginning. You write something and it becomes something much bigger than you envisioned--you add music, you add a director, actors, a whole personage of personalities, and the thing you created, your baby of sorts takes on an entirely new, more beautiful shape. It becomes 3D and speaks back at you and you feel like you're watching a phantom film: you're sure you've seen it before, but you can't remember when or where.

But, before I blather on about sappy feelings that will end up in the actual program anyway, take a look at the Teaser trailer. I love YouTube.