A Family Affair

Tonight is our last dress rehearsal before we open tomorrow!

Julia said something last night that I though was great, and really true. We gathered together as a cast, in full dress for the first time, and did some calming stretches and breathing together. Then we formed a tight circle, so tight that we were each touching the people on either side of us. Julia told us to take three deep breaths together, and then she told us to stay focused. In her calm voice, she said that when we are onstage we need to remember to be focused, to love and enjoy the people we're with onstage, and to have fun.

"That's how I think we can worship God through theatre," she said, "by enjoying the bodies he has given us, and the people he has given us."

I am excited and sad for the show to open. Excited, because rehearsals have gone so well, and this is the climax of all we have been working toward for the past two months. Sad, because this is the beginning of the end of one of my best experiences here at Biola. As I said before, I've grown in confidence and in eagerness to learn and explore and experiment with my body and my mind and my creative faculties. And I've grown to truly love all of the people I've worked with in "The Dining Room". I love that the cast is so small; big ensembles are fun, but the fact that there's only six of us makes the sense of comradery even stronger. No one is a minor character, we are all leads, and we are all vital.

This play is so centered around families and relationships, it's only fitting that the cast and crew have begun to feel like a family, in a way. I don't know what I'll do with myself when I don't have rehearsal every night.