The last play I was in was during my senior year of college. I played Renee in Claire Chafee’s Why We Have A Body. The role was a challenging one to be sure, I had never played the part of a lesbian before. Having only had one other stage kiss prior to this play (with a male actor) I now had several kissing scenes with a girl I hardly new. The funny thing is, I was more nervous about remembering my lines than about portraying the intimate relationship between these two woman. Funny what makes you nervous sometimes, not always the things you assume.

I have to chuckle when I think about my wardrobe for that part -  a dress, a short nightie, 3-4 scenes spent in my bathing suit (my actual bathing since we had virtually no budget for costumes) and a robe. It is hard to image standing in front of a theater full of people in my bathing suit now….even though it has been less than 10 years since I played that part.

I often think about the day of that audition. I had gotten into a fight with my then boyfriend, who is now my husband, and was feeling very low. Which in the end I think actually helped my performance. I think about opening night and the look of shock on some of the faces in the audience who were not very familiar with the subject matter beforehand. I will always be thankful for the opportunity to be part of that project. The more I think about it, the more I miss that experience, those years spent on the stage. I even kept the bathing suit.

Add to del.icio.us!