Setting the stage

So I began searching for meet up groups in my area to sign up for to complete our project. Last fall I was part of a women's group that I really liked but they started turning into the kind of group that only wanted to go clubbing in Raleigh and I just couldn't keep up with all of it and my schedule.

The first group I signed up for was a group that met at a local wine and art bar. I was really kind of excited about this since the place was about two blocks from here. A week later I found out that the wine bar was closing.

While searching groups, I did sign up with a group that puts you in contact with volunteer opportunities with not for profit groups. I thought this would be interesting and possibly be something I kept up with after this class. They don't meet up on a regular basis, but they do send out emails about things coming up. One of the email threads talked about a group called Hidden Voices. They were working on a staged reading and needed a stage manager. I thought this is something I could do.

So I responded to the email and got in touch with the founder of the group. Hidden Voices does all sorts of things here in the community. The project they are currently working on is Home is Not One Story. It tells stories of people who have been homeless or lived in various forms of non-traditional homes. Once I had all the information, I did meet with Lynden to basically have an interview, I did not bring my camera as I thought it was inappropriate to do at an interview.

Since meeting with her I have come to see how the theatre world is getting even smaller. The director for the project is a local actor that I worked with a few years ago. So, yes, I know one person on the project, I didn't know that going into it.

Rehearsals have started and I have made it to a few already. I was asked not to take pictures of the group right now as there are quite a few emotions being explored as we rehearse. The cast has a few high school students and other people from the area. The protagonist of the story is an 18 year old male who suffers from PTSD and is manic bipolar. He has had some really traumatic things happen in his life. He began suffering from terrible visions and nightmares at the age of 6. At 9 years old, his father remarried and his stepmother didn't want to have anything to do with him, so his father checked him into a motel and left him there on his own for around 6 months. He tries very hard to get through rehearsals, but I don't think he will stay with the project. I think it is too emotional for him, things are too fresh.

There is also a muslim woman who has divorced her husband. He currently has their 11 children in another country and tells her if she comes back and asks for forgiveness he will take her back and she can see the children again. She talks about how once they were married and she became muslim, things completely changed. He practiced polygamy and became extremely abusive, all in the name of being muslim.

It is a really intense project, but I am very excited to be a part of it. I will do my best to continue to blog about rehearsals and the project. I might not be able to get photos for a bit as I want to make sure everyone feels safe with me. I know I could get photos with the director, but since I already knew her I figured that shouldn't count.