I could never do it. Step on stage night after night and perform the same set of lines. It’s not something I would want to do. Tell me I have to present some information to 1,500 kids in a school gym, easy. Give me 5 lines to act in the same scenario and I’m a mess. I’ll give you a performance similar to a cardboard cutout of myself. And, I’ll probably mess up 2 of the 5 lines.

But put me in the audience and I’m in awe of the dramatic artists on stage. I get swept up in the performance. I am in awe of the the performers sharing their craft. And while I am someone who rarely watches all but a handful of favourite movies more than once, I can watch a live performance again and again.

Yesterday, in front of a very small audience, I got to watch my daughter in a musical for the first time in 2 years. Opening night is often a bit shaky, but her and her 2nd year cohort really nailed the performance, it was wonderful. Their creative interpretation of the play, with minimal props, was clever and imaginative, and the performers all hit their marks.

I will miss tonight’s performance for a (digital) open house event at my school, and then catch the closing performance tomorrow night. And I’ll probably enjoy the performance more than I did last night. That’s the power of a live performance, and I love to watch. I also love the joy it brings my daughter, but I never want to be on the stage myself. My role is in the audience.