“Bringing the Curtain Down on a Fantastic Season “

Since moving to this corner of the Midwest, I have enjoyed a number of attractions and experiences. And professional theatre has been one of the joys that I have rediscovered here.

I enjoyed live theatre long before I moved to rural Northern Illinois. I have made a number of trips to Staunton, Virginia to attend performances at the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse (http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com/) and it is one of my favorite places to take in a show. And prior to that, I enjoyed performances by the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express (https://web.archive.org/web/20130531204805/http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com/v.php?pg=50) that I attended in the early 1990s when I accompanied the young lady that I was dating to performances while she was a student at James Madison University. As a student at East Carolina University, I fondly recall a fantastic performance of Big River put on by the School of Theatre and Dance. And how can I forget the riotously funny performance of Rod Blagojevich Superstar by The Second City at Chicago's Navy Pier prior to me moving to Illinois? I haven't taken in a show on Broadway, but perhaps I will someday.

But admittedly, I have taken in a number of theatre performances in the area since arriving here. Timber Lake Playhouse (https://www.timberlakeplayhouse.org) claims to be "...the oldest, continuous resident summer stock operation in Illinois" (http://tlpstories.blogspot.com/2011/06/putting-it-all-together.html). Located in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, "My Theatre in the Woods," brings in some skilled and talented actors and actresses as guest performers and members of the resident company. And the crew working behind the scenes is obviously skilled, talented, and dedicated as well. While it has been a few years since I have attended a performance at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (https://www.clintonshowboat.com) across the Mississippi River in nearby Clinton, Iowa, that shouldn't be taken as any kind of slight against that venue or its actors and actresses. I have enjoyed some fantastic shows there as well. But my work schedule is not conducive to attending as many theatre shows as I would like to attend and the COVID-19 pandemic definitely threw a monkey wrench into my plans to attend theatre productions.

The shows that I have attended in the area have been universally good. But I have to admit that this particular season at Timber Lake Playhouse has been particularly entertaining and enjoyable. I have been blown away by the string of incredible performances over the summer season. I fully expect to see and hear more from the actors and actresses that took the stage for the 2023 Mainstage Season as part of the resident company. Last night's performance of Jersey Boys was so much fun. But I left the theatre property with a bit of sadness. It was an admittedly bittersweet moment when I had to accept that what remains of this year's resident company will soon be departing at the end of Jersey Boys' run. When you see the same actors and actresses performing in a variety of roles in a variety of different productions over a season, it is difficult not to feel some affinity and attachment to them. In a way, they feel like family members.

And I am certain that the cast and crew likely have bittersweet feelings about the end of the summer stock season too, if only because I have been an athlete that has been around at the end of a competitive season. As a team sports athlete at the end of a season, you are likely ready for the season to draw to a close, looking forward to the future, and yet a little saddened by the knowledge that you will not be seeing some or all of your friends on the team nearly as often and the knowledge that you likely have played your last game with some of them. In that regard, I expect that being an actor or actress as part of a resident company is like being a team sport athlete.

But with that being said, I am thankful for having had the opportunity and the privilege to watch such a talented and skilled cast perform throughout the summer of 2023. I hope to see many of them next season, but I also know that some will undoubtedly move on to bigger and better things professionally speaking. And I am happy for them. They clearly have done their part in "learning their craft" and they are clearly doing their part to "pay their dues." I am rooting for them to make their dreams come true wherever they end up next. Bravo! 🎭 👏🤩