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Ah, the beginning. The start. The alpha, if you will. All starts come about when something changes: like the change of the seasons. I have never been one to abide by some calendar date telling me when the season starts. Seasons start with an event. Spring starts when the birds begin to chirp. Summer begins when I walk outside and start to sweat without warning. Fall starts when the leaves change color. And winter may "start" on December 21st, but really, for me, winter starts with the first snow. And how fitting that the first snow was on December 1st, and then TUTA's company meeting was on the 2nd. The first snow was like an ushering of the company into the kick off of the Next Big Project. And what is this Next Big Project you might ask?
Why, The remount of The Wedding, of course!
Like so many remounts before this one, TUTA would like to expand upon the major success of the first go around. First though, we had to address the fact that not everyone could stay around from the original cast. Sadly, a few cast members couldn't join us for this remount. We love them, and will miss them, but the search has been ongoing for replacements for those who have been lost. Lucky for us, we found one such replacement from within our own Wedding ranks.
Jake Lindquist, who was our very astute, jovial and studied assistant director from the original production of The Wedding, will be assuming the role of The Young Man (opposite yours truly) when the cast reunites for another run. I asked my New Boyfriend what he thinks of when I said The Start, The Beginning, The Winter, and The Wedding. This is what Mr. Lindquist had to say:
The Start of Winter is something that everyone dreads. The promise of shorter days, colder nights, and endless blizzards make the coming months seem like a curse. A punishment for all the bad things done in the previous year. But in the midst of all this cold and darkness there is much joy to be found: Hot chocolate, pumpkin pie, snowball fights, downhill skiing, Christmas lights, New Year's Eve, and the chance to start anew. Starting a run of a play is very similar.
You know that for the next two or three months you will rarely have the chance to see the light of day as you spend your days working and your nights in rehearsal and performance. But just like the darkness of winter, there is much joy that comes with this experience. The chance to sing, smile, laugh, and hit up the Polish bar are only some of the ways working on a show, at least this show, make the hours of rehearsal and performance worth the effort. Except this time, I am looking at the run from a different vantage point.
Originally I was assistant director, so I got to relax and watch this wonderful cast work together. Now, I am being thrust into a different role (no pun intended) where I will be subjected to the grueling physical and emotional regimen I saw this great cast do last year. While the challenges and tribulations are sure to happen, I know the rewards will far outweigh them. Let's just hope my thoughts are the same when I spend my free Sunday afternoon re-learning how to play the piano.
The entire cast of The Wedding welcomes you back, Jake. Be it in a different capacity. And good luck. You're going to need it.