You know who your crazed theater friends are!

If you and your friends spend eight and a half hours in the costume room to try getting things organized;

If you and your friends drive ALL the way to Wal-Mart just to pick up the EXACTLY right shaped bracket that will hold you giant Willy Wonka gate together (And of course to pick up Zaxby’s along the way);

If it’s 1:00 AM, and you and your friends are in the theater trying to make those “perfect brackets” actually cooperate with your drill AND your limited repertoire of building skills;

If you and your friends have hung tons of crepe paper, blown up hundreds of balloons and glittered EVERYTHING to put together a theater fundraiser;

If your friends have spent countless hours under the stage to play roles such as “the river” or “the turkey”;

If your friends spend weekends at a time doing hair of twenty Lost Boys, or making up Oompa-Loompas;

If your friends will go gather dried leaves from the cemetery to cover the stage at midnight;

If those same friends will trek under the same stage to blow those same leaves out with a leaf blower once the show closes;

If your friends have parents who act, or are themselves parents who act;

If you have dressed up a mannequin as an advertisement and your friends are willing to drive it around town (and still talk to you);

If your friends never understand what outlandishly ridiculous ideas are bouncing around in your passionately insane head, but trust that you understand yourself, and continue trying to comprehend what your are rambling on about (although it is probably a blessing that they aren’t as crazy);

Then you might—YOU JUST MIGHT—have found some friends who can put up with your long-winded rants about kids, and paint, and stages, and PLAYS! It’s a hard job to fill, but someone has to do it. Thanks to all of my great friends who have helped to keep the CMAC Youth Shows going—from Peter Pan, to Bridge to Terabithia, to Willy Wonka, and onward to Christmastime at the Circus Marvello, Alice in Wonderland, and soon James and the Giant Peach.

I can never tell you exactly how much your help has meant. The belief, trust, and laughter you have lent to me has made it all worthwhile. And maybe—if I’m lucky—I’ll keep you around.

Will