Road Trip!

Just got back last night from my trip with Cambrian Players to the annual Theatre Ontario Festival in Sault Ste. Marie. CP doesn't usually attend, because the location is typically too far away, but this year our Pres. Gabe wangled a special invitation for us, because the event was in the neighbourhood.

I went along to operate the huge sound board (using two out of 48 channels for our music and one more for the ajudicator's mike). Not much of a challenge actually, but it was fun to be there. Because the board is located at the back by the entrance, audience members spoke to me to give us tips in the intermission, to convey their great enjoyment of our play (Norm Foster's "Drinking Alone") and to compliment me on my hat (bought in Israel).

We won three prizes: Best Actress (Jesica Bouvier), an Ajudicator's Award to Don McMahon for his set painting and Best Overall Visual Performance, that is, a prize for everything except the sound! We were nominated in other categories as well, including Best Production. Bear in mind that all the other plays had won regional competitions in order to attend.

I realized that I really miss the days when Camp used to send us to Camping Conferences. Finances were tight in the most recent years and it wasn't always possible to send all of the fulltimers, if any. (To be fair, the E.D. did discuss this with us and ask us to find alternate less expensive professional development opportunities which the Camp would fund.)

I think God knows that I need this sort of thing from time to time and so has been providing by other means, such as a couple of years ago when I attended (sponsored by a local Christian couple) an IVCF Bible & Life Conference in Gimli MB and now this.

So this trip was a little like the crazy camping conferences I used to attend -- except that we didn't play camp games in the hotel lobby (pretending to be chimps etc.). But I can easily imagine theatre people doing that sort of thing anyway! It probably happens more after hours and I just went to bed too early.

As I told Gabe on the way back I enjoyed (and have been enjoying over the last 3 years with CP) being part of a functional team that actually meets its goal (producing plays well and staying in the black). Because my role is small and in the background, I can be fairly relaxed and simply do my bit -- observe from the others and learn, but not bear a lot of responsibility for the final outcome. The leaders of CP strike me as amazingly competent and committed and so I can just relax, trust them and fit in where I can.

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