Crimes In Desolation: Night Two

 

by Rocky Macy

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of watching the Spotlight Players of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base present their second and final performance of “Crimes in Desolation,” a historical drama in two acts that this tired old typist put to paper a couple of years ago.  The experience was somewhat akin to watching a baby being born after a pregnancy of several years.
 
Father survived, although a nervous wreck, and the infant emerged almost ready to start school!
 
Even with the same material and the same cast, every performance is different, and last night was no exception to that truism of live theatre.   The sound system, which is often the bane of small theatre groups, functioned much better for the second performance than it had for the first, and the cast seemed more comfortable with their lines and movements.   The overall effect was a tighter and more focused play on the second night.
 
But both performances were wonderful – and that is the unvarnished and essential high truth of the matter - as rendered by a totally impartial observer!
 
The cast presented me with a framed black-and–white group photo of their troupe, and as we all said our goodbyes last night after the play I felt as though I was preparing to move away from the comforts and friendships of home.  I don’t know that I will ever encounter any of them again, but those talented and caring people have touched me deeply and I will always have fond memories of the weekend that my family and I spent in North Carolina - and of the cast and crew who breathed life into characters and a story that I had nursed along from thought to print.  
 
The Spotlight Players took it all further and made those characters and their stories real.
 
Thank you, Janelle, and all of my new friends, at Seymour Johnson AFB, for making “Crimes in Desolation” happen.  The play, and everything associated with it, was an amazing experience and one that I will always remember.
 
Salute!