Yes, it’s true, Theatre is a drug
“The theatre is my soothing drug, and my cynics illness is so far advanced that my physic must be of the highest quality.”
Or as Johnny Depp says in the movie version of The Libertine (yikes, tough movie to watch, by the way), “The theatre is my drug, and my illness is so far advanced that my physic must be of the highest quality.”
For many Spokane Civic Theatre cast members, community theatre is our drug.
It’s our moment of elation, our suspension of reality, the highest high of highs, and better yet, our sanity. The stage replaces the bottle, the needle or the pipe. For some, it can be that one stabilizing force that keeps our wits together and keeps us from leaping off the edge of “normal”. This is our chance to give you, the audience, our inner core, our laughter and our deepest secrets. Crazy, right?
Theatre is our family
Anyone involved in a production knows how much time, effort and commitment it takes to stage a production. We, the cast and crew, spend months together for at least two to three hours nearly every day. It’s human nature to bond in nearly familial ways. In fact, many of us Spokane Civic Theatre volunteers are biologically related. Search our cast and crew database and notice many of the same surnames? Community theatre becomes a family activity, literally. We all have the same interests, the same goals. We act together, we move set pieces and props together, we dance together. Theatre extends beyond the stage and community theatre can become the center of our little universes. Most importantly, we receive the positive reinforcement from each other that makes any family a healthy family.
You are theatre’s reward
And you, Mr. & Ms. Spokane Civic Theatre Audience Member, you are our reward. You are truly our drug, our family support. When you laugh at our hi-jinks, wildly applaud when we hit “that” note, and when you stand at the end of a show, you have just sealed the deal. We are high on your praises and giddy by your happiness at what our theatre family created. You are at the very core of our family. So, without you, our “drug” doesn’t work, and our family is in shambles. Thanks for keeping us together. We need you.
And if you’re even remotely curious about the aforementioned quotes from The Libertine, have at Johnny Depp:
Stay in touch with Spokane Civic Theatre and get social: Visit Civic’s Facebook Page, Tumblr and Google+ Page. To get more information about upcoming productions for the Season to Inspire like A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, White Christmas, Escanaba in Love, Next to Normal, On Golden Pond, Treasure Island, Grease and more, check out our website or give us a call at 509.325.2507.