I've been an actor since I was ten, and value the community formed each time people gather to rehearse a play.
Earlier this month, I was part of the company of The Man From Earth, performed at Eugene's Very Little Theatre.
We were a ten-member cast, age 28 to 77, brought together through auditions from disparate walks of life. We became part of a new, ephemeral family.
The play offered us an opportunity to know folks whose lives we might otherwise never have touched.
Once on stage, we sought to connect with the audience. But first, in rehearsal, we learned to connect with one another. Any performing troupe must if it's to succeed.
The theatrical process can be seen as metaphor. The world will be well served if more us take the initiative to bring a community of strangers together to serve a worthy social purpose.
And that's A Piece of My Mind.
