Center Stage

Friday, March 27, 2015

Today I am grateful for center stage. Oh boy, if you are a natural born performer (ham) or someone who loves the synergistic feeling between an audience and you. . .loves their emotional response. . .or their laughter. . .then you will love center stage as much as I do. There is simply nothing like it!

I’ve been thinking about center stage a lot these days. When I watched the TV show Nashville and saw the cast performing at the Grand Ol’ Opry. . .on the “circle”. . .I remembered the feeling I had when we were there a few years ago and took the back stage tour. I’m no longer the singer I once was. . .but I love me some center stage! Standing on that circle by myself, while the rest of the tour was moving on, was fantastic. I looked into the hinter-heaven’s where we would be sitting that night and felt energized. Put four thousand people out there and it’s even better, even if their eyeglasses make them look like aliens.

I understand that there are a lot of people who are terrified at the thought of getting up in front of crowds to speak, perform, or even read. I’m just not one of them. I LOVE it! LOVE IT! It fills me up like no ice cream ever could. When I was a kid I’d beg to do an oral book report versus writing it because it was the only time I had center stage.

Yesterday a good friend presented a great program at the YMCA that I go to every day. He asked a few of us to join him by reading some monologues from a fantastic play he wrote. We three Broads-of-the-Boards jumped at the opportunity. Not only was it great to read to an audience, it was great to hear character interpretations from my co-broads! Wow. Our collective talent level ratchetted up with every word and I was honored to be among them. What fun.

I am grateful that the experience made me realize I need to find more opportunities to get out there and take center stage. . . if only for a few minutes!

rive.30N