The Machine

All this time, we've called it 'the KidsPlay Machine'.  By 'machine' I mean the tried and true, tightly efficient, time-perfected way that we band together to accomplish anything huge--Move Day, the performances, our day-time matinees, community projects--anything we do.  It always amazes me the parents who come out of the woodwork to 'make it happen'.  And it does.  I'm always amazed at their willingness to work hard, the above-and-beyond the call of duty and detail that putting on a production is--and how we make it happen.  Whatever we've done, whatever grand schemes we concoct, I know that the ever-amazing KidsPlay machine will be behind us and it will be successful.

But I may have to rethink this a little.  We are most of the way through the 'heavy-lifting phase' of "Steel Magnolias".  Our director (Dennis Cole) and our assistant director (Christy Laudig) assembled a team of more than 25 people for building, painting, set, props, costumes, moving, lobby, tickets, concessions--and a good number of them have never worked on a KidsPlay production.  They are a CrazyLake Machine.   Every bit as efficient, dedicated, and HARD-WORKING as the KidsPlay parents, and every bit as amazing.

In fact, I have to say, that following our very long day of Tech (the one day where we dismantle our set in the Dungeon rehearsal space, load it onto a trailer, reassemble it in the theatre, work with sound and lights and all the technical  aspects for the first time, and finish with a full run-through of the show), I was quite touched by the number of Facebook posts commenting not only on weariness and the length of the day, but by what a good time they had, what a good group of people with which they worked, the camaraderie of the team, and the 'good tired' feeling of having worked hard to accomplish a common goal.  I was moved by that.  It made me smile.

And I think that's what sets us--KidsPlay and CrazyLake--apart from the others:  the sense of team, the sense of family, the sense of appreciation from those of us who plan and dream and see the vision of what we're trying to accomplish.  Without these good friends, this strong support, this theatre family that is willing to band together to move the mountains we imagine, we are leaders of nothingness.  Without them, it would not happen.  And without them, it wouldn't be nearly as fun.  So here's to you, Bill and Joe and Ted and Jim and Rachel and Amelia and Pat and Johnny and Aaron and Amanda and Lex and Beth and....  You are the power behind the dream.