A Smaller Footprint
Dunkirk NY – Over the past six weeks I have made the conscious decision to lower my internet presence because I have not had the necessary time. It’s not that I’ve had that big a footprint anyway. Nor was a big footprint anything I’ve ever actively sought out. But the demands on my time since the holidays have been rather large. Those of you who do theatre can appreciate the time demands if you try to do two shows at once, which I was doing between January 17 and February 5. When classes started up for the fall semester that only added to the work load. It was clear to me that the most superfluous activity I had going was my web life, and so I deliberately decided to halt working on the blog until the beginning of March.
Much thinking has come from this hiatus. Some of that thinking will find its way into this blog, and some will remain with me. But perhaps the most significant thing I am thinking about right now is the place of theatre in my life. For most of my adult life and a significant part of my career, theatre had played a central role. In this interim, I have been considering whether or not the time has come to reduce – or even eliminate – the amount of time I devote to the art of theatre.
Nothing will happen immediately, to be sure. I cannot simply walk away tomorrow. But I can begin to take some steps in that direction. Having reached the age of 60, one of the things that means more to me than anything else now is time, and how to spend it. Perhaps theatre is not the best use of my time anymore. As I gain more time to write about some of my reflections on this issue, I will do so. -twl
I look forward to reading your reflections.
Tom, I hope these ruminations don’t actually lead to your abandoning the theatre. And I REALLY hope they’re not linked to the abuse you recently received over your Broadway post from the Parabasis crowd, et al. Because if you quit the theatre, that means the terrorists have won. And if you think I’m calling the Parabasis crowd “terrorists,” you’re absolutely right.
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for your comment and your support – I do appreciate it. No, I am not truly thinking of giving up theatre, although the thought did cross my mind. And no, the comments from the Broadway post has nothing to do with it. Actually, I found all that more interesting as a phenomenon of the internet and blogosphere than anything else. No, I am pretty much reacting a bit to my own hectic schedule the past few months, a schedule which left me feeling burnt out and caused me to think about some sort of re-assessment. Turning 60 had something to do with it as well. I’m going to be fleshing some of this out. But give up the theatre? The truth is that I have no other skills in life but the theatre! -twl
Glad to hear it! Sure, two productions at once can make you want to take up basket-weaving instead. Look forward to future posts.