Rented Christmas

This past December, I participated in helping backstage for a performance of Rented Christmas. At BYU, in order to give the largest number of students in the theater program a chance to practice their craft, they have Mask Club, where every Thursday a student directed 50 minute one act is performed. This one in particular needed people to help with costume changes, so I came on to help with all the quick costume changes that had to happen between scenes at light speed!
It was not my first time being backstage, but it was my first experience working backstage and not acting. I gained new appreciation for the numerous people who have been there to support me and help me look good on stage. Helping organize all the costume pieces by character and scene, being able to help unzip and zip up stubborn dresses, and quietly directing people to their own costumes and helping them put it on, all made the play fun and inspirational for the many people who came and saw it. No one applauded me for making sure the costumes were organized and the actors put them on, but the fact that no one noticed delays or mistakes was satisfaction enough.
It clearly isn't the amount of applause we get that determines our success, it is the consistency we apply to ourselves and our job. There are no small parts on the stage of life, only small actors. I enjoyed the experience of helping in my own small way to this production, and learned how much goes into a performance that goes unnoticed. There is always available jobs doing small but important tasks, and I learned that I don't always have to be center stage in order to participate and enjoy performance. There is so much more that I can do to participate besides acting, and the more I know how to do the more employable I become. I hope I never forget that night, and now with the wonders of digital recording, I never will!