Kudos - The anatomy of a Community Theater Performance.

What is not evident and never seen by anyone, is the full picture of the work behind a play. Many individuals are aware of large portions of the efforts required to create a Community Theater production. 

But the time and effort and personal sacrifices made are rarely known in totality to even those who were there every night. Some aspects may have even been missed by the one little mouse listening in the corner.

And yet a little bright eyed creature was watching and listening attentively and saw many amazing acts of kindness and dedication.Most of the players work full time jobs. One works three. Many lost hours of pay in favor of hours of rehearsal. 

All have families who gave their support and took up the personal responsibilities of the performer and or the technical staff. Several were ill.  A couple hid the pain of injury. One crying baby left a player very short of sleep.

A few offered up their homes for practice until the entire group was able to meet and work amidst a construction project.(The construction people worked seven out of seven well into the night in order to finish).

Most had un-reimbursed personal expenses. Many skipped meals and yet were fed by others who managed to bring lovely snacks to share each and every rehearsal and performance evening.

One person drove from Sandpoint after a full day of work for every rehearsal and performance. And several drove an equal distance from the north of town.

Several players came to all the rehearsals only to perform for only two or three minutes each night. No individual performer was a star. On the contrary, all could be said to be stars. Each one simply waited to do his or her part. One had only one part at the end and waited two and a half hours each night for that three to four minutes.

Five had never performed before in any sort of theater production!

When you are entertained by the endeavors of a performing troupe think for a moment, after the curtain falls and the lights come up, of the labor of love performed there. Every Community Theater performance ever given is a hard earned joy offered up to the audience for their pleasure and, at times, enlightenment.  It is a gift from your friends and neighbors to you.

A little church mouse in Bonners Ferry,  now lives in a theater!

And the performers were heard to say, "thank you, to our friends and neighbors, for receiving this play with such enthusiasm."

M.S. Heil

The mouse

Bonners Ferry