A director of children's theater recently told me her pep talk.
"Life is like a play, and you need to act your part the best you can. Then God can help you become the person He needs you to be."
I have scant acting experience. The chorus of nuns in the Sound of Music was my only gig, although I
did get a beautiful handmade bowl when we came out of the nunnery to chant at a wedding.
One of my daughters loves improv, and this summer she ushered us through a raucous game of act first, think later. In turn we leaped to our feet to become taxi drivers, or gymnasts, or nosy neighbors. The time lag between actual contemplation and words coming out of my mouth was reduced significantly, but it was
entertaining.
I suppose a seasoned actor or actress becomes so engrossed in a scene that he or she could blur the lines between reality and pretend. There were moments in my brief time on stage when, if I squinted, I almost believed I was a woman of the cloth. Carried along by the rich altos, and the Latin words which I could only loosely translate, I gestured for the performances as I had
in practice. It felt real. This was me.
The last weekend of the show there was a thick snowstorm, dumping two feet of white fluff on every horizontal surface. I was able to get to the theater, although some people couldn't. The drama on drama pumped our adrenaline even higher as we wrapped ourselves in black and warmed up with vocal scales. When the curtain rose, lo and behold the seats were full, and our voices escaped
from our throats to fill the hall. We got a standing ovation.
If it's true that life is a play, and we have been cast as spouses and daughters, parents and employees, improv is certainly at play. The script ended with I Do, and Will you name this child? Yet the scenery keeps changing, and the camera doesn't stop.
If I trust my Director half as much as I did the animated woman who convinced us we were Catholic sisters, it will be a life
worth remembering. There may even be a standing ovation.
"Peace has within it confidence that the Lord provides all things, directs all things, and leads to an end that is good." Emanuel Swedenborg
