Recovery!

This has been a summer of extremes. From joy, to anger, from exhaustion to exuberance, it has been a roller coaster. I had my first experience co-producing a musical with a cast of 50, and it was ... well, let's say extreme. It started with auditions - my own included. I tried out for Mrs. Sowerberry, but didn't get it. I did, however, get cast as Mrs. Bedwin. A nice, albeit boring to play, housekeeper who bonds with Oliver. Then, the scheduling. Working around other people's schedules is difficult, especially when planning 7 weeks of rehearsals. It didn't end with that - preparing for the rehearsals took weeks and once started, the work never seemed to end. Work, work, work! The first couple of weeks of rehearsals were a little scary. Nothing seemed to make sense related to anything else and it was all so disjointed. But then one day, it all came together. And opening night happened, and it was all worth it. Six months after we started, it was all over, and bittersweetness took its place. Ever since, I have been trying to catch up on work, home, and sleep, particularly sleep. I did plenty of it this weekend and still feel pretty tired. My house is a shambles, my car is absolutely shameful, my work cube is a disorganized mess. I look around at the detritus and wonder how I will ever catch up. But I am proud of myself for a lot of reasons. I didn't once lose it with any of the cast members, even though I could have. There were a few truly difficult people, and I am learning how to deal with that and the idea of conflict, which terrifies me. And I learned what kind of leader I do not want to be. After being treated with condescension, rudeness, and disrespect, it made me appreciate the other 98% of the people I worked with all the more. All in all, I sacrificed my summer including time with my husband, gave up all of my free time, spent too much money, and neglected my other responsibilities. So would I do it agian? In a heartbeat.