November 20, 2016

Dear cast of Henry IV Part I,

I know it's been a while since we've all been together on that stage and in those moments, but some things about our company have been reoccurring in my mind. I truly miss all that we shared, and I am pleased to be able to look back with pride at what we accomplished.

If I may, I have some things to share with you and, especially to the rest of those reading this, about what it means to be a part of a company of players.

During the performances, I was often writing or reading something to make myself busy in between my scenes. I don't recall which night I wrote this poem, but the words are what matter.

We are a company of players.
A company that builds and builds
Toward an almost unreachable goal
If one member of this company
Falls
Then we will reach down
And pull him up again
Only after we have all fallen, too.

This poem reflects everything it means to be a part of a cast: no one can win unless everyone does, a reminder we all received every night from our director, Simon Donoghue. Even if you aren't a part of a theater, if you're a part of any team, this concept is just the same. We pull our fellow players back up, but we have to get down to where they have fallen to do so. No one can win unless we all do.

When on stage, anything can happen. It doesn't matter how glorious the previous performance was, or how terrible the show is running. Anything can happen: the show can turn from lousy to phenomenal in a moment; it can crash and burn without even so much of a hint. For these reasons, the product of good, really good theater is relying on the sheer will power and concentration of everyone involved. Taking on the challenge of focusing to the point of not thinking is where victory lies. To become so immersed in your character and the story is what allows the story to truly come to life.

That is one of the many reasons I keep coming back. I have a passion to work in community, and to work toward producing the best show you possibly can; to continue onward with the acceptance and awareness that no matter what, we are still a group of people who have harnessed the ability to tell a story in the most vulnerable way.

My heart is full of life for these memories that I have to look back on, and contemplate the whats and the whys and the hows. Theater has given me the insight to see life in a different way each day because, honestly, anything can happen.

To the cast of Henry IV and to all those reading this, I hope life is treating each of you well. Merry Christmas.

Always,

Frances McKinley