A couple of weeks ago a colleague of mine, Michael Rosenthal, said it must feel really good to be dealing with the anxiety of doing versus the despair of not doing. He was referring to starting WAM Theatre and being in the midst of producing our first event, ‘A WAM Welcome’, which will open a week from tonight (April 9-11 at the BSC Stage 2 in Pittsfield, MA-buy tickets at www.barringtonstageco.org). He was full of support for the venture and also said he hoped this would be the beginning of a venture that would have a lasting impact on our communities. I agree on both fronts-I also hope it has a lasting impact and it does feel good to deal with the anxiety of doing rather than the despair of not doing.
This last week has again been full of lots of ‘firsts’. I’ve spent lots of time putting myself out there and encouraging friends and colleagues (and my fair share of strangers) to spread the word about ‘A WAM Welcome’ to their friends and colleagues. I’ve also spent time having interviews with various press in the region for articles that will hopefully come out about the show and having meetings with people interested in helping to spread the word about the show. You see, we have 400 seats to sell, it’s the first time we’ve ever self-produced and no one knows who the heck WAM Theatre is yet, so, to no surprise, it’s been a stressful (and exciting) week! (PS-feel free to invite others to the event through our Facebook event Invite.
I imagine next week will be even more exciting (and just a wee bit stressful), what with putting the show together in the theatre and not knowing how many people will actually show up to be part of our first event. Obviously, like all people who begin ventures they are very passionate about, there is a huge vulnerability attached to ‘putting yourself out there’. Leigh and I think WAM Theatre is a great idea. The Bob Bacon Fund and the 23 donors who sponsored this first event think it’s a great idea. The performers who are volunteering their time to be part of ‘A WAM Welcome’ think it’s a great idea. The press who contacted us for interviews think it’s a great idea. Many of our family members and friends think it’s a great idea. But, will there be 400 paying audience members who think it’s a great idea? Will we be able to sell enough tickets to make a donation to Women for Women International? Will that amount be anywhere near to the amount we raised to produce the event, which is our goal?
Leigh and I (and my husband, another dedicated volunteer) have been working hard and wearing all the hats needed to produce a theatrical event. The fact that many of the hats are being worn for the first time is definitely causing it’s own amount of stress, BUT, to get back to the point of this blog posting, the amount of anxiety we are currently experiencing feels good because the opposite means we would not be doing theatre to benefit women and girls through WAM Theatre. So, while the anxiety of doing is causing me some semi-sleepless nights, the despair of not doing is simply not an option. Onwards and upwards-Bring on next week!
Written by Kristen van Ginhoven, co-Artistic Director of WAM Theatre. www.kristenvanginhoven.com