Blog

Living in A Canceled World

Leaving on a jet plane sounds so much better when Peter, Paul and Mary sing it. It was a view similar to the this plane leaving Teterboro Airport started it all for me.  I was lugging my granddaughter– and believe me lugging is the word- across the parking lot of the Meadowlands YMCA.  I was toddler gym class day. I was a woman with a plan. Toddler gym class, the produce stand, a quick shower and off to the city for the second rehearsal for my show, The Biddy Contract. The reading was scheduled as part of the LaMama Umbria International reading series. I had (I still have) huge confidence is the show and it that it would be a reunion with the writers I had met in Umbria, Italy last August.

The cast had met in my friend’s apartment on Sunday March 8. Most of the cast was familiar to my director and there seemed to be an instant connection. It was exciting to hear my words come alive.  My director had great vision for the piece and the actors enjoyed my Irish soda bread.  I left the rehearsal flying high to go to a birthday party for an Umbria classmate who flew in from California

It was a wonderful party, fantastic food, great company some from the Umbria experience and some other friends. I was out very late but it was so energizing.  The week filled up with all the normal activities for a regular week as well as pre -performance details.

Wednesday evening I received a text from my director asking me what I thought about all this virus talk.  I’m not a chicken little type so I never assume the sky is falling.  But there was something.  I suggested that she poll the cast and get their opinion.

I lugged my granddaughter across the parking lot. She was excited. I was excited. We both had big fun activities before us.

I always look at planes.  My husband loved all kinds of planes and the space program.  He referred to himself as a Sputnik kid in the space race from the beginning. So I know some spacecraft launch protocol. I stood on the causeway at Cape Canaveral with him, for hours waiting for a launch. The countdown clock was T minus two minutes to launch and then it was postponed,  I heard the astronauts on the PA to Mission Control asking for more time.  They were refused by several authorities.

Of course, they wanted to go.  They had trained to years for this opportunity.  Health and safety overruled. Not their choice.

I told my director that she was right.  Months of my work came to a halt. And within a few hours the whole world was in quarantine.

“Don’t know when I’ll be back again.”