Behind the scenes...

Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother

Ever wonder what's going on behind the scenes?  I do.  I'm incurably curious about just about everything and I always want to know how things are done or what makes people tick or why something does what it does.  I especially like it for movies and TV because I've gotten to do both in my lifetime and it's pretty interesting.

I got to thinking of "behind the scenes" today as I was backstage as the Fairy Godmother in Kaleidoscope Theatre's Cinderella's Christmas.  I love this show but I have to tell you, the show behind the show is even better.  I won't give away all our secrets because that's our private space but the stuff that happens back there is funny, sometimes chaotic, often unpredictable, and full of great comraderie and teamwork. 

During these two shows today, I saw the mice (remember the mice befriend Cinderella) and their moms singing and dancing backstage, I saw a frantic search for the pumpkin for the next scene (the one that gets turned into a coach) - it was with Cinderella as it was supposed to be, I saw the actor who played the Minister miming one of songs to the pure delight of our newest mouse in her first show.  I also experienced something for the first time - almost missing my entrance because I was talking backstage, something you really shouldn't be doing for just that reason.  I made it out there on time but said a few lines of gibberish which hopefully the audience didn't catch...  Or maybe they did which adds to the fun of live theatre.

"Behind the scenes" is not just for plays, movies and TV though.  There's "behind the scenes" in retail, in businesses, in government, in families.  We often just see what we're supposed to see but if we take the time to look behind the scenes, hopefully there's the same kind of cooperation and spirit that's part of doing live theatre with people like the great people I worked with today. 

If all the groups I mentioned looked out for each other and tried their best as we did today, I think we'd see a more productive economy, better government and happier families.  That kind of world might seem like a fairytale, like the one we performed for the audiences today.  But backstage is real life, with real people, real problems.  When all choose to work for the same goal - for us, a successful performance - the results can produce a standing ovation!  Let's work on making the "behind the scenes" parts of our lives as worthy as the picture we show the world.

My thanks and kudos to my fellow cast mates and the great crew!  I love working with you all! See you next week at Connecticut and New York!!