“What exactly is Lent? Kind of off on my religious stuff. Today I came in and my boss had a black smudge on her forehead. I thought “What a dumbass and I’m not even going to tell her about it.” I saw some more and It turns out to be some intentional thing. Who knew?” - My FAVORITE cook, who keeps me in stitches all day.

Lent, for those of you who don’t know, is when Jesus went on a crusade because the evil locusts had taken over Gethsemane. They were eating everything in sight, and the people were starving, so Samson came over with his hair and offered to halve a baby in order to save the city. Jesus, however, didn’t really like this idea (who would cut a baby, anyway?!), so he decided to part the Red Sea and drown the locusts. He had all the really cool people who made the cut build a huge boat so THEY wouldn’t be drowned, and they made it out of beaverwood. Then, the little ship was tossed, and the Professor was thrown overboard. Marianne, or Mary Magdalene (as she was sometimes called), made it, though. They were on the ship for forty days, and then they hit ground, where they formed a tribe and voted everyone off but Jesus, who won the million. That is why we celebrate Lent.

This weekend, at the Flying Monkey Arts Center:

The Vagina Monologues, directed by Lezlie Lanza and That Redheaded Girl

March 4th at 7:00 p.m.; March 5th at 2:30 p.m.

All proceeds go to benefit the Madison County Free Clinics

You can find more info at VDay.org

Next weekend and the weekend thereafter, at Everest Theatre:

The Glass Menagerie, directed by the multi-talented Chris Bowser

Dates and directions available at the website

Featuring some of the talented Lee High Drama Magnet students

See you there!

I’ll never, EVER forget that Harry Delugach, in front of an entire room of women who had slaved for a three and a half hour rehearsal, thought it would be a good time to make the joke, “I noticed y’all were getting kind of snippy.. someone warned me that getting that many women together would cause y’all’s cycles to run together.”

And it was amazing to see a room’s worth of estrogen-filled hackles rise.

I imagine that a cast of all women would be daunting, to even the most seasoned director.  After a week of a sparse cast last week (following a last minute cancellation of a needed rehearsal due to “weather”), the tech week of VM was FREAKING ME OUT.  I sent out a almost-groveling (but slightly firm) email last week, pleading with the cast to just put in one more week of energy.  That’s it.  And really, not even a full week.. just Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday.. then the two cathartic performances on Saturday and Sunday.  That’s a blessed tech week.  I was freaking out that we’d have to find spare time for extra rehearsals..

And my weekend (I used air quotes around the word.. because it was far from the ending of a week) was NUTS.  Birmingham was EXHAUSTING, we came back later on Saturday than had planned originally, I frantically spent Saturday night cleaning house and doing chores to get ready for the next week.. then Sunday was a baby shower for Ra (which, really, was too much fun and TOTALLY worth it), button-making during downtime before rehearsal, then straight to what I was SURE was going to be a wash of a tech-week rehearsal.

And EVERYONE (except for those I knew would not be there) came.

And EVERYONE was PHENOMENAL.

And EVERYONE laughed.

And I took a deep sigh of relief.  Because it’s going to be fine.  We cast the show well, with very talented people, and very capable women, and everything is coming together.  I need to relax.  Because I’d heard people say it before, but I never really understood it.. it’s not my show anymore.  It’s theirs.  And it’s in good hands.

I left rehearsal last night feeling MUCH better about this coming week.  I think we’re at the point where it’s fun.  I know I wasn’t the only one who needed the laughter and commaraderie.. I heard many a woman laugh and say they were glad they came.  And we got out in time for Gray’s Anatomy, which was fantastic.

(I, personally, did not watch.  I shared ice cream with Bryan in our kitchen.  Then we put clean sheets on the bed and passed out.  Which is ALMOST as good.)

So ladies (and gentleman), I thank you.  Endlessly.