Theater life is merely a reflection of everyday reality

Readers may remember back in 2007 when I wrote about Jeri Palmer, a lifelong Joliet resident. I got to know Palmer and her family while she was being cared for at Joliet Area Community Hospice. I was privileged to know Palmer only for a couple of months before she died. But, in that time, she taught me something about how to live.

At her funeral, the priest spoke the words to "Seasons of Love," one of the more well-known songs from the musical "Rent."

When the opportunity arose to be in a local production of "Rent," I could not help but to think of Palmer. She lived all of her days in gratitude and, like another song in the show, knew there was "No Day But Today."

The production I joined opens at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Paramount Theater in Aurora.

I have been away from musicals for more than 10 years. The last time I did a musical I was in high school. Now I have to schedule rehearsal around work, a baby-sitter and family commitments.

Theater is a funny animal. Unlike most jobs, where projects have deadlines and the staff moves steadily toward that direction, theater is a bit like, well, herding cats. Theater people are artists, and artists have specific ways of doing things. And one way can vary greatly from another.

Some people like to run the show and stop when necessary; some prefer to break it down into little pieces and analyze each one. Some like the music more than the acting; some don't like the acting, but they love to dance.

Everyone is different, but everyone comes together for the purpose of making the show great.

It's sort of like the theme of "Rent," in which there are 20-somethings who live in New York: a filmmaker, an aspiring songwriter, an aspiring actress, a drag queen, a lawyer, an exotic dancer, their parents, just to name a few.

They all exist together, for better of worse. They are different, but at their core they are the same. They love, they grieve, they fight battles with their health or watch their loved ones fight battles with theirs. They create. They do it all different ways. They succeed and fail, but they are beautiful while doing it.

Theater is real life -- on a stage. What it takes to make life work -- a little organization mixed with chaos, a little love mixed with disinterest, a little war mixed with creation, and a lot of faith that it will all be great -- is what it takes to make a production a success.

Consider visiting the Paramount Theater, 23 E. Galena Blvd., on Nov. 6 or 7 or to West Aurora High School, 1201 W. New York St., Nov. 13 and 14. For more information, visit www.rentmusicaltour.com.

I have watched some amazing artists in the past two months. I watch actors become their parts so much that improvisation is a natural thing. These people I am working with make it look effortless. It isn't, but what it will be is a show you don't want to miss.