Hello blog readers, Amelia here! Goodness, but it has been a while since I’ve sat down to tap out some thoughts on this blog. Things at DCRT have been quite busy and everyone’s schedules have been full to the brim but I finally have a few moments on this Saturday morning to jot down some things about what we’ve been doing, thinking, going through lately.

First off, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped out, donated, showed up, played, etc. to/for/with us for the Twilight Gypsy Bazaar. We had a small but mighty crowd (as Frank likes to say in his curtain speeches) and those incredible folks helped us raise almost 3 times as much money as we raised last year. The DCRT crowd will be heading back to the drawing board to discuss how we can make next year’s fundraiser even better.

Speaking of drawing boards, that’s something that we do a lot over here at The Rep, taking the time to go over what has worked for us and what hasn’t. We’re big believers in striving for constant growth because we believe that art cannot be created in a stagnant environment. We must constantly be asking ourselves “How can I be better today than I was yesterday? How much more can I give to this art, to this moment, to this event, to this audience?” I understand that we might come off as taking ourselves a bit too seriously but, honestly? Why in the world – why in God’s ever-loving world would I, would anyone, commit to a life in art if not to strive to do the best work possible?  This life, this profession is not a right. It is a priviledge and we owe it to the people who make this life possible, our audiences, to give them the best product we can give them.

Now, I don’t mean massive sets and expensive costumes, although if you’ve got the resources for that than more power to you! No, I’m talking about the beautiful, hilarious, terrifying, heartbreaking moments that can experienced between actors and audience. Those incredible moments when everyone on stage and in the house comes together to witness the creation of something that will never happen again. It’s alive and fleeting and electric. It’s not even something that can truly be expressed with words, but rather it’s something that is felt with the heart. Even if the show is done night after night with the same cast, those experiences cannot be recreated.

It’s a beautiful thing!

We’re gearing up for our 2nd Season which opens in just under 3 weeks on August 18th with the New Mexico premier of Neil LaBute’s reasons to be pretty . And even though the season has barely begun and I love each of the plays we’ve chosen for our 2011-12 season, I’m already looking forward to the adventures that will come with our 2012-2013 season! Everything is a chance to grow, to learn more, to push ourselves as artists out of our comfort zone and into the unknown. Every single thing we do is another chance to serve these thirsty Albuquerque audiences. It’s such an exciting time! I truly hope to see you all at the theatre.

Now, off we go…