I just came back from the cast party for the children’s show I was in (Babe the Sheep-Pig).  And I’m going through that bittersweet feeling of being happy that the show is over because I get some of my free time back, but also being sad that it’s over because I don’t get to spend the time with the people that I’ve grown close to over the past few weeks.

It’s always fascinating how a show bonds people.  You get thrown together with people you don’t know and hopefully some that you do and learn your lines and blocking.  You commiserate over things.  You trade war stories of doing other shows.  If you’re lucky, you go out for drinks once in a while.  Or as often as possible.

Some shows introduce you to people that will become your new “best” friends.  Some shows introduce you to people that you really get along with but you only communicate when you bump into each other.  And occasionally, some shows introduce you to people that you never want to work with again.

Being in a show is a lot like life.

I’m grateful for being in this show.  I got a chance to speak with a Yorkshire accent.  Previously, I’ve turned down parts or not even gone to auditions because they needed a British accent.  I don’t do accents.  Every accent I try to do sounds like Irish.  I’m quite pathetic at it, really.

But I had agreed to do the role and only learned after the fact that they wanted us to do the Yorkshire accent.  My character (Farmer Hoggett) didn’t have a lot of lines, so I wouldn’t be speaking too much.   And it was a kid’s show, so I figured the audience would be a little forgiving for my bad accent.  So I went for it.

It was only later that I remembered talking about doing things that scared you.  Doing accents scared me.  I should have pushed myself to do a play with accents sooner.  But I got it done.  And although I know I’m not great at accents, I now appreciate the musicality of them.  I’m not afraid to try some other accents.  I’d do another play with accents, now.

So, now that I’m going through the bittersweetness of the show being over, I’m starting to think about the other things that scare me in Theatre.  Hmm.  Musicals.  Uh-oh.

I’ll keep you posted…