"I would notice the birch hats." —Sherry, act 1 scene 2

I enjoy stage managing, or what Leta might call "being the responsible adult," but I wouldn't want to make a living doing it. There's just too much time-critical stress for me. I like doing it from time to time because when I'm acting I depend so much on solid support from the guys in black clothes with flashlights on their hips. So I take the job seriously, maybe too seriously for amateurs: I want to be the sort of SM that I expect as an actor. And of course, it's a kick to know that nothing happens onstage unless I say "GO." Oh, and it's an excuse to hang out in office supply stores.

It's the sort of job that, when you screw up, a few people notice and everyone else wonders "what was that?" And when you do it well, even fewer people notice. You strive to be invisible.

So we closed Independence last night. I was listening to the preshow music mix that I put together, and the track playing was Nickel Creek's "This Side." And I realized why I chose that track when I heard the lyric in the third verse "There's no place to hide/But I don't think I'm scared."

posted: 2:13:13 PM