Well, the first full production of Alice Stanley’s Sally McCoy opens on Thursday. This Thursday. Just four days from now. It’s been a whirlwind, let me tell you. You can buy tickets at the Cohesion website, and oh, I really hope you come. I’ve never been in a play that rode quite so heavily on my shoulders as this one does, and it’s been more gratifying, more exhilarating, and more work than I could ever have anticipated. With tech week in full swing and opening night almost near enough to touch, I’m sometimes finding it difficult to maintain momentum.

With that in mind, I wrote a little prayer to the patron god of theatre, Dionysus. Enjoy.

A Tech Week Prayer to Dionysus

As I enter into Tech Week, O Dionysus, smile upon this actor.

Lord of theatre, revelry, and wine, smile upon me.

Let my memory be sharp.

Let my energy be high.

Let my voice be strong.

Let my limbs be nimble.

Let my ego, stress, and worries stay outside the theatre door.

Let the audiences be responsive.

Let all the technical elements work just as they should.

Let every night be an “on” night.

Dionysus, you who nurtured my art form as you nurture grapes on a vine, accept my tribute. Accept the adrenaline, the applause, and the euphoria as your due.

Accept my thanks, for all the flashes of insight, for the magic of the stage, for the talent to allow characters into my skin to tell their stories. Thank you for putting me on the path that led to this stage, at this time. Thank you for all the lessons I’ve learned along the way, about my art, about the human condition, and about myself.

As I enter into Tech Week, O Dionysus, smile upon this actor.