Now it can be told

OK, so.  Remember a few entries back when I stopped posting regularly because of this unnamed thing I was doing?  It's done.

Some of you may know that, on the side (i.e., not my day job) I'm a theatre critic.  I'm a member of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and ... as of just about an hour ago ... the organization's new President.

The purpose of the Circle is to encourage and recognize theatrical excellence.  We do this by giving out awards.  Annually.  At a show.  Which happened tonight.

Which I ... along with another member of the Circle without whom I so could not possibly have done this ... produced.

I think I likened the experience to putting on a wedding or something, as it was the closest thing I could think of ... except this is probably way worse.  Three hundred people.  In a theatre.  With a reception.  With food.  And beverages.  And awards.  And presenters.  And performers.  And a host.  And trophies (well, plaques) to give away.  And insurance to obtain.  And rights to the music.  And a silent auction.

And, over the past month -- if you want to know why I wasn't posting -- we had pretty much every crisis imaginable.  OK, not true -- I could imagine a lot more.  But there were plenty.  Like, when we couldn't get a liquor license.  Or insurance.  Or when we didn't get the contract from ASCAP.  Or when a woman who was in the business of doing silent auctions said we were starting too late and there was no way we'd get anyone to donate anything. 

But it worked.  I'm here to tell you we put on a helluva show.  Sure, things went wrong -- like the four interns who were supposed to be there at 5:30 which somehow turned into two interns at 6:30.  Or that the caterer made a little too much dinner and little too little dessert.  And it isn't even OVER yet, because some people left before picking up (andpaying for) their silent auction items, so I've got them here in my living room.  And the engraver screwed up on, like, a half-dozen plaques, so we have to get them remade.  And we still have to pay ASCAP and close out the ledger and figure out how we did on the event financially.

BUT ... the good part went good.  The show came in at two and a half hours (which was great because we were a half-hour late getting started); everyone who we had asked to be on stage (host, presenters, performers) ALL agreed to do it and they were WONDERFUL.  (It is SO great when your first choices say "yes.")  The winners seemed really touched and gave great speeches.  We had 35 items for the silent auction (take that, woman who said it couldn't be done).  And, all things considered, we gave the theatrical community a damn good night.

I am a satisfied camper.