The term "drama queen" gets tossed around a lot..and I've never really given it much thought. In High School, I avoided the dreaded "thespians" like the plague. I was a total anti-social geek, but even they were far too uncool for me. Zooming forward to today, my daughters are smack dab in the middle of the thespian crew at the School and I am (apparently) firmly ensconced as one of the primary patriarchs of the effort.
When we found out that Erica was leaving, after the shock had worn off, we spent a lot of time thinking, praying and flat out wondering what was going to happen at this little school in the theater department. Let's face it: she made it all happen. She had the whole vision thing, she had the drive to make the vision happen and the charisma to get others (like me) fall in line and literally walk across flaming shards of glass to make it happen (okay a bit of an exaggeration). Prior to Erica, the program was "run" by Sharon, a nice lady but not a true program leader. Loved by the kids and apparently a fine director, Sharon gets easily stymied when things get bigger than she can handle. So while we (the School) had previously churned out a play or so per year, Erica moved us into the big time. 2006 - 2007 represented her complete effort:
But sadly, it just didn't happen the way we "planned". God had other ideas. Some how, some way, it didn't work out with Jerome. I first caught wind of this last week when Kelly & Allie had heard rumors at school that he wasn't returning. Kristie did some digging and had found out that there was some sort of mis-communication and that the job that he thought he was going to do had been changed. My true guess is that he was okay with the job, but that he wasn't okay with the money, or lack there of. At the School, the true way to make the "most" money is to teach full time, and I believe that had been removed from his duties and therefore his paycheck. In it's place was the thankless job of being the "owner" of the auditorium. A job that is sorely needed and grossly neglected. And completely impossible to succeed in. Our auditorium is an old (and very large) movie theater and "owning" really means keeping a bunch of ramshackle, beat up equipment running with zero budget to replace anything, including light bulbs, and being the operator of the board at literally a moments notice. It could've been a great opportunity for someone to really train up the kids who are interested in that type of stuff...but they wouldn't (I'm guessing here) let that be a class, so it'd have to be done extra-curricularily...and that can be a challenge. So he split. No good byes...no nothing. Kelly is extra sad because he had approached her last year and really laid on how much he was counting on her help. It was nice to think that at least here was somebody that understood some of the nuiances of the School, the players and was (apparently) committed. Now it appeared that everything was up in the air. Little did I know how real that was.
Over last weekend, we had a number of School functions, where a number of people, kids and parents, asked me what I knew. I truthfully knew nothing officially. There had been some rumors, but as for what was going to happen, I had no idea. Kristie had a conversation with Rogene, the principal of the School, who had given her some insight with regards to the whole Jerome thing. She stuck to her normal position that she was blameless and that it was all him. Knowing her act pretty well, I believe that she might be embellishing this story a little, but whatever. She did say that Sharon would be taking over the fall production and that it would be a second attempt at "Cheaper By The Dozen". It was a play that Sharon had planned to direct two years ago, but it collided with the "Joseph" musical...and was scrapped. Since we already owned the script and stuff, it was cheaper and that is always better these days. This was also consistent with a comment that Allie had made to me. Apparently, up at their beginning of the year retreat, Sharon had approached her and asked if I would be willing to help her with a play this year. (She correctly replied "I don't know, why are you asking me?"). Rogene had no official statement on the Spring Musical, but there were rumors of a new parent that had offered to help there, plus an original rumor that my old pal Dave was going to scrounge up a University student to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the spring. If that were the case, then it clearly wouldn't be "Annie", as Dave was severely dissappointed in that choice...his extremely talented daughter wouldn't fit in as one of the main characters of that play, so naturally he'd be opposed to it. But regardless, I knew that eventually I'd be receiving a call from Sharon.
That call came last night. When the phone rang, I felt that it was either somebody from the School or the Apple Store. I should've known that God wouldn't make it easy for me and that it would be Sharon... After we exchanged pleasantries, she went on to tell me that she was planning on directing the fall play as had been reported. Rogene had asked her to do this, mainly so we wouldn't let the program and the kids go to programs outside the School (like Colorado ACTS or CYT Denver). "It was far too important...so can we just limp through this year and really do it right next summer?", were Rogene's thoughts to Sharon.
I have a lot of problems with this statement: if it were truly important, the Jerome situation would've been handled a lot better. The transition between him and Erica would've been much more "official" and robust. If it truly were important, the program could've been greater supported. I don't blame her specifically for this: unfortunately, she has zero budget (as does the whole School, but somehow we got a new, state of the art football stadium) and zero say really in matters. We literally have always been limping along, but with Erica's vision, we at least were all about executing a plan. The kids were excited, the parents were excited. Really, about all she can do is say "this is important" whether it really is or not. I also have a problem because limping through this year is just her way of procrastinating, and I think she knows that she's out of here after this year, so it's really her way of saying "let the next guy deal with this".
In our conversation, Sharon flat out said that she really needed me to help out, and originally she tried to tie her efforts to mine. She quickly recalled that statement and said how much she wanted my help, but that if I didn't, they'd muddle through somehow, like they always did. One of my greatest praises of Erica was that she didn't "muddle". She understood that you needed a vision (and she had one!) and she had the drive to make it happen. Sharon, while an immensily creative person, doesn't really have the vision thing. And her drive is really limited to getting this play directed. Running this as a department and having it become a program? Not really her bag. So when she says "help out" what she really means is "do everything and anything that isn't directing the actors up on stage". However big or small that ends up being is of little concern to her, as long as the performance happens. And while she doesn't necessarily mean for me to do everything, I don't think she's signing up for orchestrating or managing anything more than the actual performance (not to belittle that, it's a ton of work getting all those kids to do all that stuff...). Keeping track of attendance? Flowers for the cast? Whatever. Scenery? props? costumes? lights? mics?...all that stuff are really details that she'd rather not deal with. So if this production is going to look anything like ones that we've done during the Erica regime...somebody is going to have to jump in head first and oversee everything with Sharon being part of the org chart rather than at the top.
The problem with me taking the leap is multi-dimensional. First and foremost, I think it should be a School staff member taking charge of things. There are all kinds of budget things and the like that a staff member needs to "own". I recall, to my horror, last year when Sharon asked me (me?) what the budget was for the "Aleece" production. I'm fairly certain that my response was something like "How would I know, I'm just a dumb parent. Maybe you should check with a staff member...oh wait, you are one!". Now this would get worse because last year, Erica was around and she excelled at running this kind of stuff. She knew where the funds were buried (or so she thought) and she was willing to work all those angles. That's not Sharon's bag...and there ain't no one else to do it. Another reason is that I know it's a deep dark black hole that would suck me in and it would consume me. It did last year and I have no reason to believe that it wouldn't again. And this year, again sans Erica, there wouldn't be a sain person watching over things. Sharon gets a glossed-over look and just goes home and figures that things will work out somehow. Sharon has herself convinced that muddling through, that winging it and settling are the way it should be, and she get's uncomfortable when things appear to "upset" this. To the point of backing away from "complexity" when it could actually make things better. The devil you know is better than the one you don't....
Don't get me wrong...I love Sharon and all she does. But what she wants to be in this process is the Director. Not the Producer. Not the Technical Director or the Department Manager, Staff Liason or anything. She wants to fill the same role that Charlotte did last year during "Aleece...Charlotte was our 18 year old student director. Which right now leaves me holding the baton. Do I drop it? Do I run with it? Do I try to pass it to someone else? Do I throw it back at Sharon and run and hide? I don't know really. It would've been so easy if the position at the Apple Store were to interfere with all of this..."I'd love to help, but I've got this other job that I have to do...." But God will have none of that. I'm certain that if I say "Sure, I'll do it"...that Apple will be on the phone. If I say "nope", I'll never hear from Apple. I'm truly supposed to make this decision independently of all other issues, and that's what makes it difficult.
In the stated objective of "limping" through the year, many things are going to be dropped, I'm certain. The Drama Club & Officers? Sharon doesn't have the band width for that. Thespian Points, Thespian Festival and Awards? Not likely. Certainly the Day Camp and Jr. High Production are gone...they don't even have a permanent Jr. High Drama teacher (that was the one class that Jerome was going to be allowed to teach). And even the Spring Musical is in flux, with lots of rumors floating around about that. If we were to do more than "limp", all of this would have to be pulled together, plus a major effort of working with the Booster parents. I am admittedly intrigued by the possibility of being the "top dog"...having complete control and "fixing" some things. I think there should be a stated budget on the production, and a true accounting of income and expenses. Somehow, there should be more student involvement on the non-performance portion of the productions. But all of that is easy to say, and very hard to do. The only way to do a lot of this, is to do it myself. And I don't think I can physically do it, all the while trying to work full time at my "real" job. And being husband, father, son and friend. And I'm starting to get more involved at the church. And I'm in the process of redesigning the School's website. And I'm editting the last 3 productions video's...it's not like I'm not doing something now. And the same can be said about most parents.
So maybe I'm the "drama king"....I'm going to have to really rely on you God, for wisdom, courage and strength through this decision. It's truly a trivial thing in the grand scheme of things, but it's important to Kelly and Allie. And my role in their life, the role you asked me to take on, is to work tirelessly on those things that are important to my children. Now I just have to figure out how.
When we found out that Erica was leaving, after the shock had worn off, we spent a lot of time thinking, praying and flat out wondering what was going to happen at this little school in the theater department. Let's face it: she made it all happen. She had the whole vision thing, she had the drive to make the vision happen and the charisma to get others (like me) fall in line and literally walk across flaming shards of glass to make it happen (okay a bit of an exaggeration). Prior to Erica, the program was "run" by Sharon, a nice lady but not a true program leader. Loved by the kids and apparently a fine director, Sharon gets easily stymied when things get bigger than she can handle. So while we (the School) had previously churned out a play or so per year, Erica moved us into the big time. 2006 - 2007 represented her complete effort:
- Fall drama in the High School
- Drama Day Camp/Winter Production (was supposed to be J.High but it was all High School)
- Spring Musical, with a Dinner Theater night.
- Drama Club with Officers that met every week to execute this vision.
- A whole division in the School Booster Club to include parents of kids who weren't into the athletics thing.
- Winter Talent Show.
- End of School Academy Awards with awards tied into the International Thespian Points.
- Attendance at the Colorado Thespian Festival.
But sadly, it just didn't happen the way we "planned". God had other ideas. Some how, some way, it didn't work out with Jerome. I first caught wind of this last week when Kelly & Allie had heard rumors at school that he wasn't returning. Kristie did some digging and had found out that there was some sort of mis-communication and that the job that he thought he was going to do had been changed. My true guess is that he was okay with the job, but that he wasn't okay with the money, or lack there of. At the School, the true way to make the "most" money is to teach full time, and I believe that had been removed from his duties and therefore his paycheck. In it's place was the thankless job of being the "owner" of the auditorium. A job that is sorely needed and grossly neglected. And completely impossible to succeed in. Our auditorium is an old (and very large) movie theater and "owning" really means keeping a bunch of ramshackle, beat up equipment running with zero budget to replace anything, including light bulbs, and being the operator of the board at literally a moments notice. It could've been a great opportunity for someone to really train up the kids who are interested in that type of stuff...but they wouldn't (I'm guessing here) let that be a class, so it'd have to be done extra-curricularily...and that can be a challenge. So he split. No good byes...no nothing. Kelly is extra sad because he had approached her last year and really laid on how much he was counting on her help. It was nice to think that at least here was somebody that understood some of the nuiances of the School, the players and was (apparently) committed. Now it appeared that everything was up in the air. Little did I know how real that was.
Over last weekend, we had a number of School functions, where a number of people, kids and parents, asked me what I knew. I truthfully knew nothing officially. There had been some rumors, but as for what was going to happen, I had no idea. Kristie had a conversation with Rogene, the principal of the School, who had given her some insight with regards to the whole Jerome thing. She stuck to her normal position that she was blameless and that it was all him. Knowing her act pretty well, I believe that she might be embellishing this story a little, but whatever. She did say that Sharon would be taking over the fall production and that it would be a second attempt at "Cheaper By The Dozen". It was a play that Sharon had planned to direct two years ago, but it collided with the "Joseph" musical...and was scrapped. Since we already owned the script and stuff, it was cheaper and that is always better these days. This was also consistent with a comment that Allie had made to me. Apparently, up at their beginning of the year retreat, Sharon had approached her and asked if I would be willing to help her with a play this year. (She correctly replied "I don't know, why are you asking me?"). Rogene had no official statement on the Spring Musical, but there were rumors of a new parent that had offered to help there, plus an original rumor that my old pal Dave was going to scrounge up a University student to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the spring. If that were the case, then it clearly wouldn't be "Annie", as Dave was severely dissappointed in that choice...his extremely talented daughter wouldn't fit in as one of the main characters of that play, so naturally he'd be opposed to it. But regardless, I knew that eventually I'd be receiving a call from Sharon.
That call came last night. When the phone rang, I felt that it was either somebody from the School or the Apple Store. I should've known that God wouldn't make it easy for me and that it would be Sharon... After we exchanged pleasantries, she went on to tell me that she was planning on directing the fall play as had been reported. Rogene had asked her to do this, mainly so we wouldn't let the program and the kids go to programs outside the School (like Colorado ACTS or CYT Denver). "It was far too important...so can we just limp through this year and really do it right next summer?", were Rogene's thoughts to Sharon.
I have a lot of problems with this statement: if it were truly important, the Jerome situation would've been handled a lot better. The transition between him and Erica would've been much more "official" and robust. If it truly were important, the program could've been greater supported. I don't blame her specifically for this: unfortunately, she has zero budget (as does the whole School, but somehow we got a new, state of the art football stadium) and zero say really in matters. We literally have always been limping along, but with Erica's vision, we at least were all about executing a plan. The kids were excited, the parents were excited. Really, about all she can do is say "this is important" whether it really is or not. I also have a problem because limping through this year is just her way of procrastinating, and I think she knows that she's out of here after this year, so it's really her way of saying "let the next guy deal with this".
In our conversation, Sharon flat out said that she really needed me to help out, and originally she tried to tie her efforts to mine. She quickly recalled that statement and said how much she wanted my help, but that if I didn't, they'd muddle through somehow, like they always did. One of my greatest praises of Erica was that she didn't "muddle". She understood that you needed a vision (and she had one!) and she had the drive to make it happen. Sharon, while an immensily creative person, doesn't really have the vision thing. And her drive is really limited to getting this play directed. Running this as a department and having it become a program? Not really her bag. So when she says "help out" what she really means is "do everything and anything that isn't directing the actors up on stage". However big or small that ends up being is of little concern to her, as long as the performance happens. And while she doesn't necessarily mean for me to do everything, I don't think she's signing up for orchestrating or managing anything more than the actual performance (not to belittle that, it's a ton of work getting all those kids to do all that stuff...). Keeping track of attendance? Flowers for the cast? Whatever. Scenery? props? costumes? lights? mics?...all that stuff are really details that she'd rather not deal with. So if this production is going to look anything like ones that we've done during the Erica regime...somebody is going to have to jump in head first and oversee everything with Sharon being part of the org chart rather than at the top.
The problem with me taking the leap is multi-dimensional. First and foremost, I think it should be a School staff member taking charge of things. There are all kinds of budget things and the like that a staff member needs to "own". I recall, to my horror, last year when Sharon asked me (me?) what the budget was for the "Aleece" production. I'm fairly certain that my response was something like "How would I know, I'm just a dumb parent. Maybe you should check with a staff member...oh wait, you are one!". Now this would get worse because last year, Erica was around and she excelled at running this kind of stuff. She knew where the funds were buried (or so she thought) and she was willing to work all those angles. That's not Sharon's bag...and there ain't no one else to do it. Another reason is that I know it's a deep dark black hole that would suck me in and it would consume me. It did last year and I have no reason to believe that it wouldn't again. And this year, again sans Erica, there wouldn't be a sain person watching over things. Sharon gets a glossed-over look and just goes home and figures that things will work out somehow. Sharon has herself convinced that muddling through, that winging it and settling are the way it should be, and she get's uncomfortable when things appear to "upset" this. To the point of backing away from "complexity" when it could actually make things better. The devil you know is better than the one you don't....
Don't get me wrong...I love Sharon and all she does. But what she wants to be in this process is the Director. Not the Producer. Not the Technical Director or the Department Manager, Staff Liason or anything. She wants to fill the same role that Charlotte did last year during "Aleece...Charlotte was our 18 year old student director. Which right now leaves me holding the baton. Do I drop it? Do I run with it? Do I try to pass it to someone else? Do I throw it back at Sharon and run and hide? I don't know really. It would've been so easy if the position at the Apple Store were to interfere with all of this..."I'd love to help, but I've got this other job that I have to do...." But God will have none of that. I'm certain that if I say "Sure, I'll do it"...that Apple will be on the phone. If I say "nope", I'll never hear from Apple. I'm truly supposed to make this decision independently of all other issues, and that's what makes it difficult.
In the stated objective of "limping" through the year, many things are going to be dropped, I'm certain. The Drama Club & Officers? Sharon doesn't have the band width for that. Thespian Points, Thespian Festival and Awards? Not likely. Certainly the Day Camp and Jr. High Production are gone...they don't even have a permanent Jr. High Drama teacher (that was the one class that Jerome was going to be allowed to teach). And even the Spring Musical is in flux, with lots of rumors floating around about that. If we were to do more than "limp", all of this would have to be pulled together, plus a major effort of working with the Booster parents. I am admittedly intrigued by the possibility of being the "top dog"...having complete control and "fixing" some things. I think there should be a stated budget on the production, and a true accounting of income and expenses. Somehow, there should be more student involvement on the non-performance portion of the productions. But all of that is easy to say, and very hard to do. The only way to do a lot of this, is to do it myself. And I don't think I can physically do it, all the while trying to work full time at my "real" job. And being husband, father, son and friend. And I'm starting to get more involved at the church. And I'm in the process of redesigning the School's website. And I'm editting the last 3 productions video's...it's not like I'm not doing something now. And the same can be said about most parents.
So maybe I'm the "drama king"....I'm going to have to really rely on you God, for wisdom, courage and strength through this decision. It's truly a trivial thing in the grand scheme of things, but it's important to Kelly and Allie. And my role in their life, the role you asked me to take on, is to work tirelessly on those things that are important to my children. Now I just have to figure out how.