Community

One of the nice side effects of the Fringe completely taking over my life is that I've met and gotten a chance to converse with so many interesting people.

I'm afraid I'm a bit behind in replying to email, so forgive me. I do appreciate the responses I'm getting from participants in the various shows (even if some of them don't agree with me - in fact, those are sometimes the most interesting discussions). I'll be getting back to you if I haven't already, I promise. If nothing else, it's just nice to know that people are actually reading this thing.

When I really felt like I'd fallen down the rabbit hole was when I called Uptown Tix yesterday to make a couple of reservations and the person on the other end of the line pulled up my name, and she said, "Oh, I've been reading your blog." Apparently it's been helpful, so I feel like I'm earning my keep.

It's great to run into familiar faces while waiting for the house to open, and then again on the way out as actor and producing friends await their turn to take over the space I've just left.

While standing in line for tickets the other day, I ran into one of the actors and the playwright of a play I like quite a lot

(OK, why be coy - GILGAMESH, IOWA - and I say again, SEE IT)

and it was nice to have a chance to tell them so in person. We sat with each other in the audience, and then I had the pleasure of playing Fringe taxi and dropping them off at their next destination.

I have to say, it was, oddly enough, the most useful I've felt all week.

Strange to just be a spectator for a change while everyone else is frantically creating art all around me. I feel positively, well, lazy, having everyone serve me their wares day after theater-stuffed day, and not having anything to offer in return but compliments and applause and funneling as many people as will listen to the next performance of their play.

The up side is that it will doubtless propel me into my next script with more vigor.

After all, seeing what everyone else is up to, I feel the need to catch up and join in the conversation.