I gotta say, I was a bit nervous going into the performance and Passing Clouds. I worried that I might be rusty after spending so much time distancing myself from “acting.” The second I began, though, I knew I had nothing to worry about. The dress, the wig, the makeup, the tub… It all fit like a glove, I swear’ta G-D.

It was something of a discovery, actually. See, I’ve really only ever worked with a script before, so the amount of improvisation that was done on the night was something a bit new for me. But, as I said, the décor, the costuming, the cigarettes I was constantly lighting, it all added up. Really, there was no struggle at all to achieve what needed to be achieved (for the sake of the show and the night) despite whatever the various passers-by threw at me (or didn’t, as was often the case). By far, the most rewarding part of the night for me was having a laugh with some genuinely very interesting people.

Though the performance was supposed to be a one-on-one kinda thing, I was more often than not approached by a group of friends, or I’d have someone come and sit next to me while I was in the middle of something with someone else. This was no problem for me, and I kinda think that this group dynamic actually enhanced the whole experience. They would share stories about their scars and their nightmares with me, which was fun for me, cause I got to learn a bit about them. But when I’d look at the faces of the other people that were part of the performance at the time, they seemed just as interested in anything their friends, or sometimes these complete strangers had to say as anything the glittery drag queen in a tub had to say. They were as eager to learn about their fellow audience member as I was. In the future, I would like to play with this idea. I don’t even need to be the one telling them a story. If you put two interesting people next to each other, and give them some interesting questions to ask of one another, something interesting naturally happens. Something truly authentic. And, who knows. Maybe a relationship could form that wasn’t there before the encounter… Stranger things happen. Trust me, I should know!

I was also pleased to see how many were eager to collect the symbols they needed to complete the journey we created. Most of the people I saw already had marks on their hands, meaning they had already seen at least one of the performances already, and liked it enough to go and hunt down the others. I would even see a couple of the kids walking around with the maps we made, navigating the cramped bar to make sure they didn’t miss a thing. When they approached me, they would ask, “so, this is the lake then?” with a real sense of satisfaction at having figured the game out. Adorable.

Now if I can only get the feel of damp offa’ me. Oy Vey, the rain, I’ll never feel dry again!