On Tuesday, September 6th (my mom’s birthday), my agent called and asked if I would be available for a run of LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE… She said rehearsals start on Sunday… I said, “um, okay, yeah, I’m available…”
On Wednesday, September 7th (my birthday), I blew out my candles and made a wish to be in the show.
On Thursday, September 8th (surely, someone’s birthday), the contract was waiting in my inbox.
On Friday, September 9th, I drove to Indiana to go to a bridal shower.
On Saturday, September 10th, I drove back to Chicago to go to a wedding and, post-wedding, read the script for the first time.
On Sunday, September 11th, we had our first rehearsal.
It has been an AMAZING journey. Working with these incredible actresses has been an education.
Our director, Karen Carpenter, feels like a kindred spirit… I may have only worked with her for a week, but I feel that I have known her for a lifetime. She treated us with such care – and the result, I believe, is a beautiful and poignant group of tales that both men and women can relate to.
On opening night, my husband told me that he believes that if you are a HUMAN you can relate to our stories. He said that he may not have felt so deeply about an old shirt, but that he certainly had these kinds of stories about old records…
For me, every story needed to feel true. Every monologue had to come from a very real place. I HAD to know that woman who was telling the story and why she needed to tell it… and then… from there… the Ephron sisters gave us such great dialogue that it all just fell out of mouths with ease.
I am loving the sisterhood of LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE – every night as I listen to our audience hum in agreement, laugh uproariously, or listen in absolute silence, I am reminded of the power of live theatre in uniting a group of 500 strangers in a singular experience.
