Of course there are differences. In professional theater, people are paid to build sets, make costumes, hang lights, manage props, and all of the other duties that take place backstage, and onstage. The last week of professional rehearsal is like putting the finishing touches on a grand meal before the guests arrive – a little garnish, a touch of salt, just a bit more spice here and there.

Community theater is more like preparing a fine meal in the midst of a juggling act. Actors, backstage crew, lights, props, sound effects, and sometimes set pieces seem to be up in the air. Everyone is striving to get things in hand before the curtain opens. Sometimes you find yourself standing in the dark, or dodging offstage for that missing prop, or feeling the slight pinch of a safety pin coming undone in your costume.

Then, it’s opening night. The lights come up, you step onstage, and the characters come alive. For a few hours, actors, crew and audience all share a story. The audience applauds, you take your bow, and then you relax with a sense of unmatched accomplishment.

As the song says, “there’s no people like show people.” I’ve done more than forty productions, and I feel like I’ve had forty different families. There are few things this side of battle that can bring people together like theater. You learn a lot, you love a lot, you give a lot, and yes, there are a few tears along the way. But somehow, it all comes together.

It gives you a different perspective. I’ve had people comment that I don’t get flustered much at my day job, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen, I manage to find a way to deal with it. I just smile, “Of course,” I say, “You see, I’m in the theater.”