Observations: Rehearsal Space

Dec 9, 2009 by Joe Von Bokern    No Comments    Posted under: Thousands of Stories

I remember doing community theatre in Louisville, Colorado. I never appreciated how nice it was to drive to rehearsal and easily find a free parking spot, or how helpful it was to have been rehearsing in the actual performance space. It was all so clean. So easy.

I’m writing this as I’m getting ready to ride a city bus to rehearsal out in Logan Square (a Chicago neighborhood just West of Bucktown). There is snow on the ground, so the commute will no doubt be exceptionally lengthy. I’ll reach my stop and walk two blocks south to an old church. The rehearsal will be in the basement, where the church holds food drives and Boy Scout meetings. When I use the bathroom, I’ll notice the large cockroaches in the bottom of the urinal (no, I’m not kidding). As we run through the show, I’ll ignore the faces of curious parishioners peering in through the windows. I’ll ignore the fact that altar boys in the sanctuary above us can hear the profanities we’re shouting. I’ll even ignore the part of the tile floor that’s slowly sinking into whatever lies below.

But I can’t ignore the incredibly talented and devoted artists that have come together to breathe life into this show. Hell, we could be rehearsing in a closet somewhere and I don’t think it would phase us one bit. We know the where is not important. The what and the why are what drive us.

She is theatre, my friends, and I am in love with her.

~JVB

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