Everything Has Its Reason, Everything Has its Time

Yesterday was the first rehearsal of the show I’m producing this spring, Listen to Your Mother NYC 2013.

I’ve written about how life-changing and rewarding the LTYM experience has been for me.  I’ve written about it again and again and again and again and again.  This is my second production of the show.

Sitting in a room full of nearly 20 successful, influential and creative people is such a thrill for me, particularly after working in Publishing/TV for the last 18 years which are very different lines of work.

The funny thing is that since I have the title of Producer they all look to me for guidance and are full of such respect.  I quietly giggle and wonder if they’re talking to the right person, but deep down I know they are.

Because I am so passionate about the show’s mission and I’m so honored to be involved, I do work as hard as I can to make it the best show I can. But it still sends shivers up my spine when I’m sitting behind an American Idol-like table auditioning nearly 100 talented individuals who come to bear their soul, in hopes of joining of what is perceived as a unique event. This year the talent that entered auditions was astounding.  We had promoted the audition notice in new places this year and the results were over-whelming.  Narrowing down the selection was murder. And rejecting such a strong group of talent was even more painful. During auditions, we constantly felt like we were physically at the show, the auditions were THAT good.

And so there we sat with our group yesterday on a Sunday afternoon in the heart of NYC.  When I walked in, I at first felt as new and ripe as everyone else, even though the experience is much more familiar to me than to them.  Everyone looked kind of nervous so we went around and made introductions and knocked down a few walls before getting started.  I was anxious and curious how it would all come together, just as everyone was.  As the words started to flow from the cast member’s mouths, the whole thing was like a symphony for me.  One piece flowed into another and created something melodic, and as I listened, I was once again reminded of how lucky I am to be a part of this.

And it all started with this blog.  Because of this blog, I met the amazing Ann Imig who created this brilliant endeavor that is hitting 24 cities this year. Because of meeting her (at a blogging conference, of course), I became the Associate Producer of this show.  Because I am pouring my heart and soul into the production, I was promoted to Producer this year, a title I take very seriously.  I signed up for a Theater Producing class recently to become more educated about the profession, not knowing where this path is leading. And that’s okay.

And as I sat there, as the only person in the room not choosing to read in the show, I remembered how much theater has always meant to me as a child. One of the fist shows I saw was Pippin and its most popular song came to mind and inspired me once again:

Everything has its season
Everything has its time
Show me a reason and I’ll soon show you a rhyme
Cats fit on the windowsill
Children fit in the snow
Why do I feel I don’t fit in anywhere I go?

Rivers belong where they can ramble
Eagles belong where they can fly
I’ve got to be where my spirit can run free
Got to find my corner of the sky

Every man has his daydreams
Every man has his goal
People like the way dreams have
Of sticking to the soul
Thunderclouds have their lightning
Nightingales have their song
And don’t you see I want my life to be 
Something more than long….

I had a dream to work in theater, only I never realized it until after turning 40.  And now I’m doing it.  I’m doing something that makes me feel powerful, like I can do anything, even fly.  I love bringing these amazing voices to the stage and I can’t wait until they are heard on Mother’s Day.

Here’s the info you need to come see my show and show your support for this high quality, women-centric production:

Listen To Your Mother is part of a 24-city series of live readings in honor of Mother’s Day. This New York City production features prominent local writers and performers telling their own tales of motherhood in all of its complexity, diversity, and humor.

Part of proceeds to benefit family-to-family.org.

Directed by Shari Simpson and Amy Wilson
Produced by Holly Rosen Fink and Varda Steinhardt

Cast: Barbara Patrick, DeBorah “Momma D” Gray, Jaime Fernandez, Kim Forde, Kizz Robinson, Laura Pruden, Marinka, Mary Beth Coudal, Nicole Goodwin, Nivea Castro, Rebecca Land Soodak,Sandy Rustin, Sasha Schreiner, Shari Simpson, Sofia Quintero, Stacy Morrison, Susan Buttenweiser,Tracy Beckerman, Virginia Watkins, Amy Wilson, Varda Steinhardt

To buy tickets, visit http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/7751-listen-to-your-mother