Thespian for Life!

I already "came out of the closet" with my band geek blog, and I figured it's time to let you all know that in addition to being a band geek I was (well, sorta still am) a...DRAMA NERD (gasp). We actually prefer to be called "thespians" if you will. And, I was a total thespian all growing up, and into high school, and I think I will continue to be one to the grave.

My playlist, (or the plays I performed in) to name a few, include Aladdin, Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, The Music Man, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and the list goes on and on and on. My claim to fame was the lead role in a spoof off the Rocky Horror Picture Show called, "I'm Sorry the Bridge is Out You'll Have to Spend the Night!" It was a play about how my fiancee and I got stranded because...well...the bridge was out, and we had to spend the night (if you didn't get that from the title) in Dracula's castle. And, all the monsters fall in love with me, and it was honestly nuts, but a ton of fun!

However, it totally gets worse. I was not just in all these plays. I was in the thespian club. I went to thespian meetings. I was even in a group that did our own little Who's Line is it Anyways for the High school. After every play performance the true thespians would all go to Katie's (the restaurant at the local casino- because I grew up in Nevada and of course we all hung out in casinos because what else was there to do? Plus, it was opened 24 hours a day)...anyways, we would all go to Katie's totally decked out in all our stage make-up, and we probably would have looked like goons except that once again, you have to take into account that this was Nevada.

In college, I sort of fell away from the whole play scene in that I was not really in any plays. But, I went to most of the plays at BYU, and they were great. I love to see plays almost as much as being in the plays themselves. I like musicals most. I know they are totally corny because the characters all of the sudden break into song for minutes to say something that in the normal spoken word would have taken seconds. But, I'm a thespian, and as such, I can't help but love this! While at BYU, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a study abroad in London aka "heaven" for us thespians. I went to multiple plays a week! I saw Les Mis, Phantom, My Fair Lady, a couple Shakespeare plays, Chicago, and I know there were tons more. I love that town for all the plays it has to offer.

Then, I got married to Derek, who is not exactly a fan of going to these plays where people break into song for what in his mind is no apparent reason. He also frequently asks me to 1) stop being so dramatic or 2) speak a little quieter (because as he is always reminding me...he is right there, not rooms away). But to all of you I ask, can I really help it? I mean, I spent my entire life being dramatic. I have been trained to project my voice to the back of an audience. How can he expect me to just leave behind all I have worked to attain?

In closing, I would like to recap my last performance for you all. It was a performance put on not without reason as you will see. First, let me set the stage... it was a quiet evening one February night in the home of Derek and Chelsea Marshall. Derek was sitting in his 15-year-old Grandmother's lazyboy chair, which is totally ugly, definately breaking, and a chair which Chelsea constantly reminds Derek "is not making the next move." He was on his laptop probably surfing ESPN.com or the cougarblue website which is a nightly or more like multiple times a night routine. Chelsea was sitting on their much newer, nicer couch (which definately will make the next move) also on her laptop working hard on a paper for school. The tv was on. Suddenly, a commercial catches Chelsea's eye enough to pry her eyes away from her hard work on the laptop. It was a commercial advertising that a traveling cast performing Mamma Mia was coming here to Eugene and would be performing at the Hult Center...

C: "Boy, what I wouldn't do to get my hands on some tickets to that show!"

D: (Silently still scrolling the pages of cougarblue)

C: "I have ALWAYS wanted to see Mamma Mia!"

D: (No head bob or any other form of body language for that matter which would signify that he recognizes his wife is totally hinting at an excellent Valentine's Day present. What could be so interesting on cougarblue?)

C: (Not all that amazed at his lack of response, turns back to her computer and fantasizes about what seeing Mamma Mia would have been like).

Although, this looked very unpromising. To my amazement, on Valentine's day, and envelope comes in the mail containing two tickets to Mamma Mia in May!!! So, though it has been years since I have performed on stage, I've still got some talent. I'm so excited! Derek says that counts for his gift for Valentines and our anniversary probably because he's too lazy to come up with another fantastic gift. He might as well have tried to call it good for the rest of the year. No need to get a birthday or Christmas present either. Needless to say, I get to go to a musical, and I couldn't be happier.