"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." - Seneca
Tomorrow marks the end of 2009, a year that I will look back upon as a year of preparation. Ironically, what I thought I was preparing for and what I was actually preparing for ended up being completely different.
Without question, 2009 was a very busy year. I directed two stage productions: Doubt at TheatreWorks New Milford and Little Shop of Horrors at The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts (TBTA). As the VP & Managing Director of TBTA, I produced four special events for the theatre: The Paddy Awards, the acclaimed production of Tea at Five, Susan Blackwell's Die, Vampire! Die! Workshop and Joe Iconis' Connecticut concert debut in The Not Suitable for Children Concert: The Songs of Joe Iconis. Also for TBTA, I directed two youth workshop productions: Sleeping Beauty Kids and Dear Edwina, Jr.
In 2009, focus on my writing took a back seat to theatre projects that were production-focused, not creative-focused. I spent the year entrenched in my activity, hoping that 2010 would see all of my hard work pay off. At the end of 2008, the current President of TBTA told me that I would be her choice to succeed her presidency. She also told me that 2009 would be her last year. I held that information close to the vest for the entire year. Since she said it, I took it to be true and I made plans accordingly. To make a long story short, she changed her mind. Instead of me being President, she wanted me to be a grant writer. Instead of nominating me, she nominated someone else to succeed her.
This change of heart devastated me. Many tears were shed. No explanation for the change in direction was offered, aside from the fact that it was the inherent right of the President to do so. So, in the end, I resigned from the Board and walked away from the theatre that I had called "home" for three years.
As I said before, though, 2009 was a year of preparation. While I thought that I was preparing to become the President of TBTA, that turned out not to be the case. TBTA slammed the door in my face but were kind enough to open up a window. Outside the walls of TBTA there lies a world of opportunity. And 2010 is the year that I will discover that world.
Want to join me on my expedition? Then stay tuned for a big announcement in 2010 that will mark the beginning of an incredible journey. And who better to share it with than you, my faithful readers?
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