Guest blog by Jaimelyn Gray

I hate weddings.

I don't know when my hatred of the blessed event began, but I know that it culminated in my informing all of my friends that I would not be standing up for anymore weddings. EVER.

Then I met my husband.

Of course, I am the first to admit that I am a jaded soul. My mother has been married three times. My father twice and is now single. Sometime after my mother's second divorce I decided I would never marry anyone unless I knew them for 10 years.

Then I met my husband.

Actually, I met Leszek (pronounced LE-shek) while I was taking a Shakespeare scene study class taught by TUTA's artistic director, Zeljko Dukich. I remember talking to my fellow classmates about this VERY interesting Polish guy I had met who lived in my building. Obviously it was meant to be: I am from a small town in Wisconsin and was taught all things Practical. He grew up in a small village in Poland and was taught all things European Romantical. The day I met him he asked me if I believed in love at first sight. I said no. He asked why. I told him it wasn't realistic and asked him in return if HE believed in love and first sight. He said yes, followed by:

"Because I see you two, maybe tree times before, and I am tinking to myself dat I am loving dis girl."

Hmm… Interesting indeed. Three months later we moved in together. Three months after that we were married. Now believe me, this was no fancy shmancy wedding -- as I said, I hate weddings and all the pomp and circumstance that goes with it. No, we proudly marched downtown, both in dress pants, on the coldest day of 2009, with our marriage license in hand, and exchanged vows in front of our one witness: The Justice of the Peace. That night, there was no honeymoon. I had to rush down to the Storefront Theatre on Randolph for the final dress rehearsal of TUTA's production of Maria's Field. Celebrations would have to wait.

Jaimelyn and LeszekSo now a year has flown by and here I am, still waiting for a honeymoon and in rehearsals for another show with TUTA. I guess not much has changed. I love the TUTA family and am so proud to be in the midst of another show with them. And whilst they have accepted my husband and I with open arms, Leszek, on the other hand, has had a very difficult learning curve being married to an American actress. Much of the past year he has been asking himself, "Where is my wife?" It's hard to explain to someone from a small village in Poland why you would work hard all day only to go to a second job that takes you away from your husband and doesn't pay very well. From what he knew, American actors make money hand over fist. Look at Brad Pitt! Look at Julia Roberts! They are drowning in cash for Pete's sake!

Still being newlyweds, Leszek and I often have disagreements. Many of them are cultural (boy from Polish village + American feminist actress = TROUBLE), but some of them are just plain old fashioned camouflage for the fact that we really miss each other. A LOT. I moved down to Chicago and met Leszek a month later. And while I would love to spend a whole bunch more time with my husband, trying to get your foot in the door of the Chicago theatre biz takes COMMITMENT. Like a marriage one might say. Many times I leave the house at 5:00 AM and don't return home until 11:00 PM. I could swear at this point that I have a full time job on top of a full time job, on top of a full time job. Truth be told, many folks have said they are "married to the theatre." So where does that leave time for my actual marriage? And if I am married to Leszek, technically, am I cheating with TUTA? If so, why haven't they bought me dinner yet?

In a few weeks, Leszek and I will share our one year anniversary on the first Friday performance of Bertolt Brecht's The Wedding. If you'd like, he will be there and you can celebrate with the two of us.

'Cause nothin' says Happy Anniversary like watching your wife trying to get in the sack with other guys.

-Jaimelyn Gray