Ten Years on Stage

  I’m lousy with anniversaries. I rarely acknowledge them. I never celebrate them, but last Monday marked a special event that changed my life for the better. On February 24, 2004 I received an e-mail that notified me that I got cast as “Little Harp” in The Robber Bridegroom at the Muncie Civic Theatre. I couldn’t believe it. After years of trying and failing at assorted auditions, I actually got a part in a show! And a musical at that! This was a big deal for me, but little did I know at the time just how big a deal it was.

By getting cast in that one show, my journey into the realm of community theater soon began and for the past ten years this wonderful journey continues to enrich my life in numerous ways. I have been blessed to be part of so many great productions and have had the pleasure of working with so many talented and creative people. Even better I have become good friends with most of these fine folks and, as much as I love to perform on stage, I treasure these precious friendships even more.

So I want to take a moment to thank Darrin Murriel and Julie Lyn Barber for taking a chance on a fat cartoonist ten years ago and giving me the opportunity to become part of a creative community that strengthens my imagination, challenges my meager talents, and connects me to some incredible people. It is truly a gift that I hope I can be part of until the end of my days. Thank you to all my friends, my collaborators, and fellow travelers who made these past ten years, on stage and off, so rich and meaningful for me. You all mean more to me than I can truly express. I just hope the next ten years of my journey continues to be as rich and as full as the first.

The poster drawing for The Robber Bridegroom was by Eugene Mumaw.