Finding Luck in Unusual Places
I did it! All three acts in the Marilyn Monroe Theater at Strasberg on Wednesday night! I’ve been work shopping my one-woman show for two years and it’s finally come together.
The evening was scintillating. Besides buttoning my cardigan sweater wrong and improvising a tad, it went swimmingly well.
I hope to have an official opening in the fall.
It’s amazing how confidence has to be earned. Only by jumping off the cliff do we learn to trust the net will be there.
But the first jump is the hardest. In fact, it’s excruciating. But I wouldn’t trade the feeling of accomplishment for anything in the world. Success too, must be earned. Sure, it comes real effortlessly to some people. That’s never been the case with me. It seems that I’ve always had to put forth a substantial effort before things were given to me. When I was still, so was my career. It’s been a partnership. A give and take.
It’s similar to bargain shopping. It’s so easy to find something you love at Bloomingdales. But try a thrift store or a Ross and the adventure gets going. Maybe I enjoy the work. Or has life just conditioned me not to wait to have things handed to me?
Speaking of second-hand stores, I had a great stroke of “luck”. Two days before my show opened I still had no shoes (or money) for my “suburban housewife” in act 2. I entered Goodwill at 9am and there they were…the perfect pink tweed ballet flats with a ribbon to boot! They were in perfect condition and cost me 2.99. I would have paid 200. Dollars for them! Everything in my universe felt in place at that moment. God was at Goodwill. And my show would go on!
One little glitch, my bottom front tooth broke in half while eating a carrot tonight. I look like a witch if I smile real wide. I hope my Dentist can see me before my next show. I pray he’ll take a postdated check too. I don’t want to scare my audience. Although a little empathy wouldn’t hurt. I might look gritty. It might add character. Isn’t that how you win an Oscar in this town? Dare to act ugly.
Written by Rachel Bailit