A Volunteer's Lament

I have been a volunteer Publicity Advisor for Coal Creek Community Theater for a little over 4 years now. When I started, I was thrilled to be able to channel my energy into something that would help promote theatre - one of my biggest passions. I jumped in with both feet and I'm proud to say that, over the past 4 years, I've built a pretty stable marketing program for the theatre. I submit all the press releases, send email blasts to the membership, write and design the quarterly newsletter, help obtain stories in the newspapers and theatre critics, design the posters, postcards, business cards, design and layout the programs, the season brochure, manage all the printing, assist with updating the website, send out mass mailings to the membership and area businesses, manage business sponsors, help with grant applications and essentially if anything is ever printed or sent to more than 5 people, I have touched it in some way. And keep in mind that I have to perform these tasks numerous times a month all year long. Again, this is a complete volunteer position and I do this work after working 40 hours a week at my real job. There are parts about it that I really love and the work I have done for the theatre helped me land my current career, for which I am very thankful. But, after 4 years of this work, I have quite the bitch list and I feel I need to get it all out before I explode.

• I'm tired of hearing that publicity is the answer to all questions and the reason behind all failure.
• I resent the fact that my job is far more time consuming and difficult than the vast majority of the other board positions. I also resent the fact that other board members only show up for meetings and feel that they are actually contributing to the group in a big way.
• It stresses me out to no-end that I feel like I can never give this job over to someone new. No one would want to take it over and I care about it too much to just throw it in the garbage.
• I can't control what a newspaper decides to print or what a website decides to post to their calendar. All I can do is submit the information (which I always do!), so please stop asking me why something is or isn't in the paper.
• It drives me crazy when people pester me about if or when a press release will be sent. Of course it will be sent. I always send it. I will copy you on it when I do send it. I only have a thousand other tasks to do this week, so leave me alone!
• I hate getting a thousands comments/edits on artwork I've created for a poster or post card. It's really hard coming up with original designs (especially with such limited time and resources) so the theatre doesn't have to pay for copyrighted material. Unless I completely miss the point with the poster or unless you can provide me with a clear concept and artwork ready to use, I am only asking you to edit content. I think my designs are pretty dang good so leave the imagery to me.
• It's really frustrating to have to go to 5 different people to just get the information I need to complete one project. And the fact that 4 out of 5 of those people never respond to email makes my job that much more (needlessly) difficult.
• DEADLINES: a word that means absolutely nothing to the vast majority of people. I need time to do a layout or design, time is needed for proof reading and the printer needs time to complete the project. This means that deadlines must be followed in order to get things done in time, but of course I get things late and I have to work well into the night to make up the time. This really sucks.

Am I a little burnt out? yeah. Ok, a lot burnt out? yeah. So you say, you're just a volunteer, you can quit at any time. Well, it's more to me than that. I take responsibility for my work and would hate to see the theatre suffer if I just stopped doing my job. The work is, at times, very enriching and rewarding, but I fear the time is steadily approaching where my laments outweigh the rewards. And at that point, I'm not helping the theatre at all. So, if anyone wants to become the new Publicity Advisor for CCCT, training begins on Monday. :)

Oscars! And not the grouchy kind...

And now it's time for Linda's Oscar Picks! ::cue the theme music:: I have now seen all 5 of the Best Picture nominees, so here we go!

Actor in a Leading Role:
Sean Penn, Milk
--Mickey Rourke might win it, but I think Penn deserves it

Actor in a Supporting Role:
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Again, duh.

Actress in a Leading Role:
Merryl Streep, Doubt
--Kate Winslet may take home the statue finally, but having seen both performances I don't think Winslet can even hold a candle to Streep

Actress in a Supporting Role: (AKA the Toss Up Category)
Uh...Viola Davis, Doubt
--I feel like none of the gals nominated for this category particularly stand out in any way so your guess is as good as mine

Best Picture:
Slumdog Millionaire
--Without a doubt the best movie this year

Animated Feature Film:
Wall-E
Anything associated with the name Eva has to be good

Best Director:
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Fabulouso!

TA DA! See ya on Monday with the results!

Sick and Tired

If you've been following along with my blog posts, you know that I am in a play. A play that opens THIS Friday! So, this past weekend was spent building the set and now we are into dress rehearsals. Costumes, props, lights, sound...oh and actors too, now come together to actually produce a show. This week is commonly referred to as "Hell Week." And for good reason. Rehearsals usually run long into the night because it's difficult to pull all the different aspects of the show together. And then, of course, there are the endless questions by the actors that are just now arising when there is little-to-no time (or resources!) to address them.

I've been fortunate enough to have a few days off this week to catch up on sleep and relax after those long rehearsals. However, Monday (one of my "relaxation" days) was spent waking up relatively early and grocery shopping, shopping for props, creating props and then rehearsing. And then on Tuesday, I wake up to chest congestion, a cough and one hell of a headache. That's right, I'm sick. Perfect timing. So, bring on the overdose of Zicam to help keep this cold at bay for at least opening weekend. And now, I am back at work today and pretty darn tired, not to mention ill, but since I am only working today and tomorrow, I thought I better come in.

It seems like this always happens - getting sick before a show. It seems that the stress and lack of sleep always catch up to me right before we open. You'd think my body would understand that this is what we do and adapt. But no, instead it crumbles under the pressure and will eventually drown in a sea of mucus. Ugh.

Kids, Children, and Babies... oh my!

I do not have any kids of my own, nor do I particularly want any anytime soon. However, I have a very big love for children and am blessed to have a nephew and a niece. I also have a few other kids that aren't related by blood that I think of as nephews and nieces as well. But I will focus this blog on the 2 kids that belong to my brother and sister.

First, there is Marcus, the son of my brother. He just turned 4 years old and the kid cracks me up every time I see him. In fact, my husband and I quote him nearly every day. Marcus is a little ball of energy. He could run and play games for hours. Literally. The kid never stops and I'm pretty sure he inherited his hyperactivity from his dad. He is also a talker. Even before he could actually speak words, he would jibber-jabber on for hours. And now, you can't get him to stop asking questions, or telling you exactly what he is doing at every moment of the day. But, my favorite thing about Marcus is his genuine good nature and desire to do the "right" thing and not get into trouble. A trait I'm sure he did not inherit from his dad. :) Marcus is always the kid telling other kids not to do bad things to prevent them from getting in trouble. He's also a bit of a tattle-tale, but hey, at least he knows the difference between right and wrong. He also has such a big heart and really, truly loves all of his friends and family.


Next, there is Eva, the daughter of my sister. Eva will turn 1 year old on Thursday and I can't believe how time has flown. She is my little red-headed beam of light. She's inquisitive, beautiful and one heck of a clapper. She is also a little sassy, but she's a read-head, so what do you expect? :) Unlike with Marcus, I have been able to be around Eva all of her life (Marcus spent his first 2 years in Washington state) and it's been a delight to see her grow. I expect her take her first steps any day now and then she will be in to absolutely everything. Eva has an infectious smile that can always brighten my day. And one of the funniest things she does is laugh at conversations. For example, the whole family was eating together during Sunday dinner. We all get to chatting and inevitably something makes us all laugh. Well, Eva sees this and starts laughing - kinda like what people do when they just walk up to a conversation they weren't involved in and try to interject themselves. It's such a fake little laugh too, it is SO stinking funny!

These kids really light up my life and I am so grateful for them!

I guess I'm also grateful for my sister and sister-in-law for actually popping these kids out so I can enjoy them! ;-) Thanks!

Rehearsal

I am now a few weeks into rehearsals for my upcoming show, The Last Night of Ballyhoo. In fact, we only have 10 more rehearsals until we open! EEK! Most of us are off book and we are starting to really get a feel for the show. Characters are coming along nicely and we, as a cast, really gel, I think. We rehearse Monday-Thursday from 7-10pm and typically run the whole show every night. Each night as we approach the final scenes and inch closer to the 10 o'clock mark, we all start to get a little loopy. We start flubbing lines, interjecting random thoughts into scenes, behaving badly and just all around acting like idiots. This is actually my favorite part of rehearsal. The funniest things come out of people's mouths and of course, by 10pm we are all a little slap-happy so everything is hilarious. Also, I think these cooky experiences every night help us bond as a cast. Inside jokes are formed and these are the moments we will really remember in the future.

One of the best things about theater is that you get to spend so much time with so many wonderful people that share the same passions and interests that you do. Everyone works really hard to build their character over time, and you get to witness these transformations along the way -- all while doing something you love. You learn to depend on one another and to learn from everyone's experience and expertise. And then to top it off, you get to go out there and perform to hoards of applauding fans (well, at least your cheering parents). Although it's full of hard work, long hours, and many struggles, there are few things as rewarding as performing in the theatre.