Seduced by the Stage

I love performance.  Watching it, reviewing it, discussing it, doing it.  I was in The Vagina Monologues for four years in undergrad, and I love the theater, concerts, dance shows, and spoken word.  Nowadays, I've gotten into the spoken word scene.  After a scary creative dry spell for nearly a year (eek!), I now am back to reading at open mic nights.  I tend to write rhyming poems with a somewhat confessional style and self-aware stage presence, and I'm pretty good at gauging what to read for which audiences.  Although I wouldn't say I'm a professional by any means, I've become a familiar sight at city and suburban events and can be counted on to get up and read or recite.

It's weird in a way.  I mean, many people see public speaking as scary, but I don't.  My job requires public speaking, which I really enjoy, but I also love being creative and reading my own material.

I don't really know what's got into me, but now that I have gotten back into writing and performing, I find it strangely addicting as a hobby.  Just the rush of people applauding (got a standing o for my girl-powered "The Princess Who Rescued Herself" at a Lincoln Park event) when I finish or snapping when I say something that resonates with them is enough to put me on a high for the rest of the day.  When I talk to the other artists afterward and find out what they're all about, I'm excited to get to know them and answer their questions about me as well.  When I've volunteered to read, I get really excited and will spend hours reciting and tweaking what I've written days and weeks before the event.  I'll think about who might be there, what their reactions might be, and how I can make something that will really be meaningful.  I've read uplifting anthemic numbers at my grad school's transformative justice nights, confessional poems at all-female literary salons at the north side bookstore, and road poems at my old hometown's art walks. I cheer on the other artists, join in on call-and-responses, and give a friend candid advice when she tries going backed up the first time.

It's oddly seductive.  I keep coming back and wanting more.  Wanting to do more.