Then and Now - M Borden
A short comparison of two similar days in and out of quarantine.
Well… what can I really say that you all don’t know? You all have been living the same nightmare as me for two years. And you know how weird it is now, starting to stir from that nightmare. But there have been two days I’ve had at Wolf PAC that I feel show the difference between then and now. So I’d like to share them with you. A year ago, I was in a production of Much Ado About Nothing here at Wolf PAC, and it was quite the unique experience. We pre-recorded the entire show, with Will and Janine editing each scene together like a movie. It was an incredible experience, and I’ll never forget my time working on it. But it wasn’t until the end that I realised how different it was from an ordinary show. There was no ending to it. No catharsis. No show. It just ended. The show was online for two weeks, and then it was over. At the final “rehearsal,” we did one last activity, one near and dear to the hearts of all. Warm and Fuzzies. To those unfamiliar, Warm and Fuzzies are the heartwarming game we play at the end of a show. We throw a ball of yarn from castmate to castmate, delivering compliments on whosoever we give it to. We hang onto one end of the string, and by the time it’s made it around to everyone, it forms a giant web. This has become a staple of Wolf PAC, and even through quarantine, we’ve continued this loving tradition. But that day in June felt different. When the cast (and crew) gathered that day, we knew it was the last time we’d all be together. Despite us being a week before the show was released, our time together was over. We weren’t going to get a show together, we were saying good-bye. It was a lovely time, but it felt bittersweet all the same. This fall, I performed in Wolf PAC’s production of Alice in Wonderland. It was among the first round of mainstage shows that would be performed live in the black box since early 2020. And I was super excited. I made a ton of new friends, and despite some covid woes, we were about to put on a show! It was some of the most fun I’ve had in years. And, of course, towards the end, we sat down for the time-honoured tradition of Warm and Fuzzies. And in a lot of ways, it was the same. I had a wonderful time, and I was smiling the entire time. But it wasn’t the end. We went on to perform a few shows, and knowing that we had that made the warm and fuzzies really feel happy. The pandemic stole those showdays from us last spring, but by the time fall rolled around, we had started to recover, and we were once again performing live. And it seems like that’s how it’ll go on. Anyways, that’s about it. I hope some of you enjoyed hearing some anecdotes and thoughts. I’m gonna try to do these prompts every month, so keep an eye out for me and enjoy! And submit to the Journal, I wanna hear all of your thoughts!
