Passing years

I was sitting tonight and watching a movie about small town life.  The acoustic music in the movie transported me back to a time when I was 18 living in Whitewater which was a small town of 12,000 people living in a house I rented with some other students.  I remembered sitting in my living room listening  Art Garfunkel singing about my little town.  As I sat here in my family room thinking back I had two images juxtaposed in my head- the living room I would sit in late at night in college listening to music and imagining the future and the present sitting in my family room 40 years later listening to my daughter decorating the Christmas Tree in our living room with my wife who I began to date 40 years ago.

The journey that my life has taken leading to the house I'm living in and the family and career I've had over the 40 years was something that I never could have imagined sitting in that living room listening to music 40 years ago.  I recently returned from Madison WI from a directors conference and I find it fascinating to sit in a room with so many other directors and talk with them as to how their lives have turned out the way they have. It is so easy to fall into the trap of self importance when you work in a small community and there aren't many other directors who you can compare yourself to.

So what did I learn from going to Madison.  The question was raised there as to how many of us thought that our theatre's would fall apart if we weren't there.  I know that the Market House Theatre would still continue to operate and to do shows.  The question for me is not if it would fall apart but have I made the theatre too co-dependent on me.  My willingness to do the design, direction, and so many other jobs to make sure the theatre continues to thrive hasn't created opportunities for others to take on those responsibilities.  In my performance review this year it was noted that I needed to let go and delegate more of my responsibilities to others so I could concentrate on big issues facing the theatre.  Kristin Williams the other day said I have the same disease she does- "namely I'm too busy trying to keep the day to day things going and not spending enough time looking and planning for the future.

In some ways I think that is how my life has gone.  I've been so busy looking at the next project and working on what was right in front of me that I've neglected to do the planning that will allow me to plan for what life will hold for me for the next 10 years.  I will only have a short time with Jade still at home before she moves off into the world to begin her life.  As I was climbing ladders today doing the lighting for The Best Christmas Pageant I thought about how much longer I can continue to climb ladders.  Several of the the theater directors are talking about succession planning.  There are a large number of directors my age and older at the conference and we are all thinking about our legacy and the organizations that we leave.

I've come back determined to do a better job of transitioning certain tasks that I do at the theatre.  That will require hiring some new and younger staff members to take over some of my day to day duties.  Hopefully that will allow me to be more effective in how I can contribute in other areas.  I've always wanted to write more and to develop some other shows.  I've also wanted to travel more than I have.  Letting go of some things can be difficult but I think will ultimately make the theatre a better organization.   My challenge will be to find and develop those persons who might be able to help me make those transitions.  It's definitely worth trying at the very least!