"Break a Leg"

Last night was our opening night of the production "Annie". Much to everyone's relief the show went without a hitch and we all had a lot of fun. The audience seemed to enjoy themselves, too, which is always a bonus :-)

Now for those of you that don't know this, for some unknown reason, it is bad luck to say good luck to an actor. So we say "Break a Leg." It obviously works because I have never broken anything on stage and I have been on stage a lot.

I only get involved in amateur dramatics but I love it. The cast and crew become like family in the 3 months of rehearsing you do before the show and we all become very close. Although the last perfomance is somewhat of a relief because you get your life back after several months, there is also a little piece of your heart that is sad. I miss the people I have become friends with backstage. They are all ages and from all walks of life. It would be impossible to keep up with them all after the show has ended. Hopefully most of them will be back the following year for the next annual production.

Also being around so many different people is like rocket fuel for my imagination and inspiration, and many of them may end up (unwittingly) in my next novel. To all my fellow cast & crew members, my hat comes off to you!