Earlier this week, I helped supervise the offstage cast and crew during tech week at our high school. Supervise really isn’t the right descriptor because all the students knew more than me. I just stayed out of the way and made sure no one was too loud while offstage.
Because not much was required of my presence, I was able to observe.
Girl helping girl when the pin in her dress needed adjusting.
Guy asking makeup girl if the gray in his hair still looked good. Girl adding extra sprays of gray.
Teams of students working together to swap out mics quickly and efficiently.
Consistent outfit checks of one another before each goes on stage.
Reminders to each other of what scene was on stage.
Shushing each other when someone noticed too much offstage noise.
Backstage groups assembling props, even gathering them from various rooms of the school.
Girl helping girl quickly put her hair up in a bun.
There were so many separate pieces to the evening that were all necessary to the outcome of the whole. I really appreciate this awareness and reality during play and musical season.
The reminder of each person having a responsibility and looking out for one another settled my soul. I love the acknowledgement of each one of us being placed in a certain role in this life. We can see this when we take a look at our day-to-day tasks and interactions with one another. We can also take a big step back and view how our trajectory in life has allowed us to be both the influencer on others and the one being influenced.
We can carry the analogy of a stage production all the way through. We are directed by the greatest of all Directors. Great is the Lord and worthy of much praise. (Psalm 145)
Others rely on us to play our part, for just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body… (1 Corinthians 12:12)
Alone we are nothing, but together with Christ we can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)
Those on stage and those behind the scenes, each has his own gift from God, one of this kind, and another of that kind (1 Corinthians 7:7)
Everything we’ve been given is gift. Every good and perfect gift is from above. (James 1:17)
It’s fall play season! Come enjoy all that it can teach us. Be marveled by the gifts and talents of our students, and all those onstage and behind the scenes. And in our own lives, may we have confidence and courage, and be reminded to play the role we were casted for today and always.
Come watch The Matchmaker November 6 & 7 at 7pm at Central Catholic High School!