Opening Post!

Welcome to 16 Shows! My little diary of my adventures in Calgary community theatre!

I've always loved theatre. I wanted to be a singer/dancer/actress from oh, I don't know, toddler-dom? Sure, that sounds about right. What got in the way, you wonder? (Or maybe you don't, because you know me and are aware of my "quirks"). ANXIETY. Big, stinking, gut-wrenching ANXIETY.  The Beast of anxiety has been my oldest frienemy, my life long companion. So, instead of the aforementioned singer/dancer/actress, I became a secretary and then stay at home mom.

But I did get a toe in the water, taking a makeup artistry class at the local college, and then I found my way to the Walterdale theatre in my home city, thanks to a lovely family friend. I had the thrill of volunteering backstage for three productions before I had my daughter. I was totally in love with it, but a new baby and no driver's license* (see Anxiety) meant an end to my days in the green room. (Once I figure out how, I'll put up a link to theatre terms for other newbies like me.)

After more life happenings, we decided to move to Calgary. Sometimes you just need a life reboot, you know? And I thought, Self, let's see if there is another theatre we could volunteer for. My friend and yours, Google, brought me to Front Row Centre Players; and thus, 16 Shows was born. I'll also link to their site once I figure out how. Not only do I know a shit ton less about the theatre than I thought, but my technical skills are also sadly not up to blogging par.

So, that's the nuts and bolts of it. Stay tuned for my screw ups and successes, and I promise not to lock the doors if you have to leave for a minute.

Shan