Loving Life

I went to see a play called "Home" tonight. It's a charming piece set in a mental institution. The charming thing is that you don't get to find this out until part way through the second act, and even then it's not stated expicitly. The director is one who I have worked with several times before, and his shows - whether I am in them or not - always impress me because he (and by extension his theatre company) have a sense of artistic integrity that is seldom seen in community theatre.

As I watched and marvelled at the set (designed and built by a man who actually -consciously -draws his creative influences from different periods in art history instead of merely slapping some paint on a flat and nailing it to the back wall), I realised that I love my theatrical life at the moment. I love the fact that there are many different types of theatre that I am involved in, and that they all give me different things. I love that I am fortunate enough to be involved in things that challenge me not only performatively, but creatively as well. I have theatre which is silly, and full of ad libs, I have theatre which is full of grand spectacle and emotion, and then I have serious and challenging work which extends me as an actor and a person.

Pervading all this of course is the sense that I am glad I realise all this now, instead of looking back from the end of my life and wishing I had been more appreciative and thankful. It is wonderful to have these things brought to mind when I am able to appreciate them fully.