My Calling

I have always wanted to be a Great Actor - but I'm not keen on being famous, having my every nervous breakdown chronicled in the tabloid press, signing autographs (I'm embarrassed about my handwriting), being accosted on the street by fawning admirers (I even hate it when salesmen use my first name over and over and over again - who teaches them to do that?  It's like being slapped in the face continually).  I had seen Carol Burnett doing "Once Upon a Mattress" on tv and thought, I want to do that.  One of my friends in college was in that show and I burned with envy.  Eventually I "did" that show myself, playing Winifred to Garry Moore's King.  Other than that, it was a ghastly experience.  Not as bad as "Kiss Me, Kate" where the director tried to kill the leading man with a wrecking bar and I burst into tears because he missed.   Or "Big River" where the rehearsals were so badly organized that I showed up at 8pm and waited four hours for my scene only to have the director break for "dinner."  I laid down on the stage and tried to make myself One With the Universe.

I would also like to be a Great Director ... having only directed once, and that was a show I hated to begin with and now cringe when anyone mentions it.  I liked what we did with it, trying to inject meaning into it, updating it (but only a few decades, not like Peter Sellars, the director).  But doing that only made me want to do everything: sets, costumes, acting, directing ... and that's what I do now.

I have the Best Job in the World. I am a Children's Librarian.

I can do all of that. I take stories from books and convert them to dramatic form. I choose the characters/puppets, make any costumes necessary, arrange for all the props, record all the voices and sound effects (although my husband does the mixing and burning to cd), and perform. I do storytimes, using all the skills I have acquired in theatre as well as my craft hobbies. I find crafts to do with the children. On top of all that, I have a German background and I just love organization. Oh, and reading.

It took about 20 years, but I finally found a career that uses my talents to the fullest. Not everyone is so lucky. And not everyone can afford to do everything they love best at this salary.