Jane Eyre

I got really terrific news on Saturday.

I had interviewed to direct a show for a local theater, Theatre III in Acton, near to where I live. I was really excited to interview with them , as they have some notoriety in the Boston area and have won a few awards for their plays and musicals. I have been trying to break into this particular area for about 4 years and have always gotten shot down interview after interview, as the area seems to only use the same people and are a bit clique-ish.

But after meeting with several of the women on the theater board and talking with them about my experience, etc., I had felt that they were excited about using me.

Then I didn't hear anything...

For one week...

For two weeks...

At two and a half weeks, I sent a small e-mail reminding them that I was still looking forward to directing for them.

I didn't hear anything for another week...
At this point I had just figured that I had lost out again and all people were flakes to not at least reject me properly!

Then....I got an e-mail. They hadn't received any references from me and wondered if I could supply them with some. "Now?" I thought. "You wait for three and a half weeks and THEN you ask for references? " (Well, I guess that in this particular interview, I should have supplied them with references right away, and well...I guess I just forgot, so I found out from a mutual friend that knows the woman----they were concerned that I hadn't left any references. I guess that they thought that I had made my resume all up or something).

So last week I supplied references (which all the people I asked all sent me copies of what they sent her and were amazingly glowing, by the way, and two and three paragraphs apiece---I was surprised---I imagined something like, "Oh, yeah, Shawn? She is pretty good at directing and sometimes has her funny moments").

And then.............they e-mailed me on Saturday morning and asked me to direct the musical, "Jane Eyre" for the fall show. I thought about it for a moment, listened to the music a bit on line, and....well...I got pretty darn excited!!!

So, there you go, after four years of trying and never giving up, I have finally broken into the inner sanctum of the Acton theater scene.

People should know better than to think that I will give up , because I NEVER do, I just keep stepping back and try new ways to get what I want. And it almost always works...

I remember a time in junior high school when I decided to run for a class officer. I lost the first year that I ran, then lost the second year. Then, I went on to High School and ran again. My mom kept saying to me, "Why do you keep running for a class office, when you keep losing? Aren't you tired of trying?" I lost again that year. But I explained to her my plan. "Mom," I said, "Eventually they will get tired of me and vote for me!" So, in my sophomore year, I ran again, and I won---and won every year after that until I was the Student Council Secretary my senior year!

So, that is how I tackle every thing that I want.... well...except with the goal of being famous someday----I haven't been able to get a grasp on that one yet....