Th’ Gaussling has a minor part in a play produced by a local community theatre group. Opening night is May 22, so the pucker factor is presently in überdrive. I’m in 5 scenes, one of which involves some shouting and pushing. Lots of opportunities to goof up. I play a farmer, so I get to do my Fess Parker accent and country mannerisms.

Rehearsals are getting pretty intense. This is the first time this play has been performed, a fact that is both good and bad. We have the blocking in place and most everyone knows their lines. Now it is just a matter of refining the performance.  A mark of an experienced actor is the ability to recover seamlessly from mangled lines. I’m not as far from that ideal as I used to be.

This is Th’ Gaussling’s 2nd production. My acting isn’t terrible, exactly. Folks are polite with me, at least to my face. I can perform certain kinds of parts acceptably. I’m more like a Slim Pickens than a George Clooney.

Putting on a good show is much more difficult that it might seem. I do it for personal growth and the satisfaction of pulling off a good performance. It is wildly outside my normal activity and is a good outlet for nervous energy.