To the Theatre

A couple of months ago, I started writing theatre reviews for a national media company called Edge Media. A friend of mine who works for them reviewing Chicago theatre suggested me for the gig, and I am so glad she did. I had no idea what I was getting into, but these days, I’m up for anything. I can’t think of the last offer for a new experience that I turned down. It was probably about two years ago now.

And yes, now I spell it “theatre” because all of the theaters out here spell it “theatre” and switching back and forth between “Theater” and “theatre” in the same article was pretty dumb. I have been assimilated.

Anyway, I didn’t mention this to my private readers when I started, unsure as I was about where it was going and what it would be like. But now I know; it’s the coolest gig I’ve ever had. I go to plays and music performances (and dance, when I can make it happen) and then tell people about what I saw.

All of the sudden, my years of analyzing text as part of my English degree are paying off. There’s suddenly a purpose to all that training in observing symbolism and connecting the words of the play to my own human experience. My brief stint as the classical music reporter at the student-run entertainment newspaper in my college town is proving well spent. Those brief semesters as a stagehand at McLeod Theatre now have some meaning. My tendency to dig a little deeper than the superficial is finally — FINALLY! — useful.

Plus it’s just fun to go to plays and then talk about it. It just is.

So now you know what’s up with all those articles I’m posting about plays in Portland. No, I haven’t become a patron of the arts. I just have a built-in way to spend my Friday and Saturday nights, and an audience beyond my husband for my thoughts on the performance I saw.

It really is one helluva good time. I’ve never wanted to be on stage, but I do enjoy watching people who do.

I have a review going up tomorrow. I hope you’ll take a look.