Getting back a bigger return on your investment than you ever expect

Great night last evening as we ran our final dress rehearsal of CHICAGO the Musical down here at San Diego Music Theatre. (By the way, the good news came last night that our first weekend is almost completely sold out! Whoo-hoo! Come see the show!).

This cast has really focused, come together and brought a gorgeous set of talents and gifts to the stage.  I'm really excited to see them share all this hard work with an audience tonight.

I'm a bit superstitious only when it comes to the theater.  I don't like to proclaim success or failure until the audience has their say.  But one of the best moments I've ever had in my life - period - happened last night as we were sending our cast home to rest before tonight's preview performance.

As I was leaving, one of the very talented actors in the show came up to me to say thank you for the experience that has thus far been CHICAGO.  I thanked him, he thanked me, and "we all just loved each other" as the line in the play goes.  As we spoke, he said he had one more thing to share with me.  He wanted me to know that I had "changed the way he sees the world" and that while he didn't think a lot about same-sex marriage in the past (being a young straight guy), he had always thought that children needed a mother and a father.  But having watched Ron and I nurture and support this production and the actors in it, he now believes that gay men should be married and that we can nurture a family. 

He also recalled an earlier conversation during a break in rehearsals where I'd spoken of my first relationship and how I'd never blamed my ex for it's failure.  I'd said that I took responsibility for my part and also, had that relationship not ended I've most probably never found my husband, Michael.  The actor then shared that he, too, had been through a bad relationship and even while he's in love with his current girlfriend, he knows he needs to let go of past hurt.  He said "Randy, it's clear you love loving your husband more than you love being hurt by your ex.  I think I need to learn from that."

Clearly this guy is a lot more developed than I was at his age :)

I was almost numb hearing him speak.  I write The Randy Report every day hoping to open the minds of anyone who may not see gays and lesbians as being equal or able to "be" a family.  And yet, by just doing what I do when working in the theater, this young actor now "sees the world" a bit differently.

I always hope that I can somehow impart some kind of positive learning experience about theater when directing or choreographing.  I love hearing actors say they maybe learned how to "work" harder or better in the theater.  But this was an actor telling me I actually communicated something more than a few songs and dance steps.

That will always be a great moment of my life.  That sounds heavy-handed, but it is.  I'll remember his voice saying those words the rest of my life.  Something was done; something occurred.

I'm guessing this is one of those moments coaches and teachers have at some point in their work.  Where they hear and feel that they made a difference.  Wow.

To quote Ron, I "slept with the angels" last night reliving the conversation.

Four weeks of work here in San Diego and I walk away with a whole lot more than a pay check and some good times in the theater.  Talk about a bigger return on your investment.