Sometimes I find theatre, and sometimes theatre finds me
So yesterday was “date night” for my wife and I. Every two weeks, give or take, we make a point to go out somewhere, just the two of us. Around 4pm yesterday I decide that I should probably go get some cash to pay the sitter, as well as some extra to carry with me. I live 3 blocks south of an ATM machine, but I was feeling lazy, so I decided that instead of walking in the cold, I would just drive up there. I end up parking about a block east of the ATM, further east than I would have been if I had walked.
As I walk down the sidewalk, I see a group of people carrying furniture pieces toward me. I figure they are either moving stuff into The Side Project theatre, or helping someone move into an apartment. I notice a familiar figure in the group helping to carry the largest piece.
“Hello Patrick Hudson!” the figure calls.
“Nick!” I call back, smiling.
Nick Keenan was helping a group of people from The Side Project move a bunk-bed set into storage at their theatre. I asked if they needed a hand, and soon I found myself deep in the bowels of their basement, helping to shove platforms around in order to make space for the bunk-bed set. I also got the grand tour of their space, which I had not seen since they had first gotten the lease, and before they added the walls and grid. It’s very cool, and you should check them out. They have a performance in there nearly every day, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a night that works for you.
So, what should have been a 5 minute trip to get money and come back, ended up being about an hour of helping, hauling, touring, and talking. Oh, and the avoiding the cold thing ended up being moot, as Nick and I ended up standing outside talking for at least 20 minutes. The funny thing is: if I had walked to the ATM, I would not have seen them at all, as they would have been inside by the time I got to that street, and I would have been 1 block west of where they were.
Hudson & Gaines
