(Sunday Paper, Year V, Issue 32)

The last weekend here in Massachusetts that there were live, indoor performances was March 13, 14, and 15.

March 14, being the second Saturday of the month, was a show at Exhibit ‘A’…and that was the last time I performed comedy.

After that show came the lockdown and the restrictions and the cancellations.

Obviously there are far more important concerns than my stage time.

But it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately - for reasons both good and bad.

The March show (pictured above) was…weird. Everyone who came was seemingly healthy…but there was an air of uncertainty about the show.

The audience kind of naturally distanced, before we were officially told to socially distance.

A number of people who had bought tickets backed out of coming. (Understandably so, I might add.)

I went back and forth about whether or not to go. I’m glad I did, because it turned out fun and it has proven to be a while before that kind of fun is had again.

That Saturday was dicey. it was pretty much the last possible time we could have gotten away with having the show. Even Sunday was way dicier - things started to get canceled that night.

But that began a crazy time - need I remind you within a week everything came to a screeching halt. (Sports, including the NCAA Tournament and the opening of baseball season, to name two things that had a major impact on my psyche.)

I think, if I freaked out at all about this whole thing, it was shortly after that when it manifested itself for me. You may remember I started doing lessons on-line and toyed with the Instagram and Facebook Live stuff for a couple of months.

Looking back I felt like it was something I had to do. There was no immediate school plan in our area and I saw a lot of kids who were floundering, not knowing what to do without the structure of school. And parents were floundering in response. I figured if I could offer a 20-minute-ish lesson every day it might help. It was a way I could do something to try to make things better.

And the performance itch was still there - so I figured lessons for the kids, and some Live videos for the adult audiences.

There were people watching those things, but not enough that I deemed it would be missed if I stopped doing them…and so as time wore on I felt like I could direct my energies elsewhere.

I’m unsure of how a performance would go right now. I’ve never had a 5-month break from being in front of a live audience since I started doing comedy.

Luckily, I guess (not really), that’s something I won’t have to worry about for a while.

But I have been scratching my creative itch…just a little more privately. (That sounds a little grosser than I mean it to.)

I’ve been feeling a bit more inspired lately, and that has been manifesting itself in more writing, which feels good.

Some of that might turn into material on stage at some point, but it could also stay written.

Who knows.

I do know that the performing is a part of my life that I’ve grown used to over the years - even before comedy, teaching was something that got me up in front of a crowd every day.

So, although I may be handling it better than I did months ago, I’m still not used to the current situation.

Will I get back to doing lessons online? Maybe. (If someone approached me to teach a pod of students I might consider that, too, but I’m not going to go seeking out groups of students.)

Will I appear on Facebook or Instagram Live again? Quite possibly. (But I don’t think on-line comedy shows are for me…and I don’t see myself performing even at an outdoor show - and definitely not an indoor one - until this is all over.)

But you can be sure, even if you don’t hear from me on a microphone, that I’ve been thinking about my performances wherever they will come…because lately I’ve been quite productive just thinking about sharing my work in whatever form sometime down the line.

Notes

*You do, of course, have an opportunity to see me be productive during the week. You can follow me on Twitter here, and Like my Facebook page here. I’ve been fairly active on Twitter lately (and it’s not all Mets-related!), and on Facebook there’s at least a post every Wednesday and Sunday.

*Oh! On Wednesday on Facebook I wrote about my voiceover work. First of all, if you ever need someone let me know, I can send you some clips. Secondly, if you didn’t check back later in the day on Wednesday, I posted a pic of where I record in our bedroom closet to get the best sound quality. That post is in the comments, if you’re interested in seeing it.

*I also mentioned that I lent my voice to a narrative podcast, written and produced by Laura Merli. (If that name sounds familiar it’s because years ago I linked to a couple of her sketch videos in a Sunday Paper ‘What I’ve Been Enjoying’. She is one of the most creative people I’ve met doing comedy and everything I’ve seen her do is funny.) Anyway, my part is small, so if you’re listening for just me I don’t want to disappoint you, but I do recommend the six-episode show. It’s very well done. You can find it on Apple podcasts.

*Lastly, one more recommendation: Last week Kathy and I went to Exhibit ‘A’’s beer garden. It was such a nice time, sitting outside and having a beer and supporting a place we love. If you have a chance to go, check their website for their hours (and maybe whether there’s a food truck or some such extra) and give them your support.