I am 49 years old and I have lived within a 30-minute drive of Warsaw for all but the five years I attended Butler University.
Last week, I did something that I am embarrassed to admit I have never done before – I saw a musical at the Wagon Wheel.
Oh sure, I have sung along at concerts and laughed out loud with nationally-known comedians in the unique theater-in-the-round setting there. But I had never seen a summer play at perhaps THE gem of our community.
I saw “Footloose” and it was great.
As you’re reading the, I’m sure you’re saying “what in the world does this have to do with sports, Roger?”
Well, while I was sitting there enjoying the show, it occurred to me how complex an operation a show like that is to put on. It made me watch the rest of the production through the perspective of comparing the folks at the Wagon Wheel to a sports franchise.
You are talking about people of all ages, some of them local people with real jobs who just enjoy acting as a hobby and others who are college students with dreams of making theatre a profession – but all working together.
Some of them can deliver lines that make an audience of 500 laugh out loud, while others are better at capturing a serious moment.
Some sing solos or duets, others are part of an ensemble, and I’m sure there are a few who avoid roles that might require them to sing at all.
There is an orchestra that you hear throughout the night, but only see as they enter their underground work stations.
The actors and actresses handle their own props and help change and rearrange the scenery in between scenes – in complete and total darkness.
The two hours I witnessed was the culmination of hours and hours of line-learning, singing around a piano, organizing dance moves and set design by dozens of people.
And, by the way, the entire time they are performing one show, they are prepping for the next one.
Mind-boggling!
I realized that these people are all one big team, just like the sports teams you cheer for and follow. Your favorite team in your favorite sport operates just like the people I saw l Thursday night.
There are main characters and people with smaller roles, all are equally important to the presentation the team will make. There are players who are flashy and others who are just solid.
Each person has their own strengths and weaknesses, and no two members have the same skill set as any of the others. Imagine if a baseball team had all middle infielders in their lineup, or a football team sent 11 offensive lineman out to run a play. The trick is to take the puzzle pieces you have and figure out how they all fit together.
Truth is, we all are part of some sort of team in our everyday lives. Maybe at work, in a charity or non-profit organization, at church, most of us participate in some sort of group effort.
In the end, it takes everyone, no matter how small their part may seem, to make that effort a success. A good team needs good leadership and also excellent followers. It needs idea people and people to carry out those ideas.
It requires people willing to sacrifice their own personal glory for the good of the overall group. That’s hard, but it’s critical.
And when it works like everyone associated with “Footloose” at the Wagon Wheel has made it work, it’s as beautiful to watch as a perfect game.
