PLEASE READ THIS

[leia131]

I vividly recall my first Encore meeting. I was scared out of my mind, and the only other freshman there was Eliza. And you know what? It was fun. We played games, and Heather introduced me into Encore, a welcoming family that cared about each other. Cathy was Cathy. Not Mrs. Archer, not our director, she was Cathy. Encore is not Encore without Cathy, and I fell that the decline in it began when she became Mrs. Archer. She is still Cathy in my heart, but I am in the last generation that remembers her as such.

I am not saying that we have to call her Cathy to be a good group, I am merely stating that the feeling behind calling her Cathy, the feeling that she was more friend that adult foe, is gone and sorely missed.

Encore is no place for hate. Sure there are people we don't like, but Cathy was never before, and should not now be one of them. And no matter what anyone did, we treated them all right and were still nice to them. There was no open hostility. No matter what they did, they were still part of the family.
Encore used to be a family. We cared, we did things for each other, and we loved, not hated. People having a bad time at home, came to Encore. If you had a fight with your parents, you came to rehearsal and forgot your troubles for a while. It was a good place to be, a relaxing place to be, and place to have fun. Frankly, most of the fun has gone out of Encore.

Encore is no place for selfishness. Everyone has to be willing to sacrifice time, money, modesty, comfort, and yes, a little sanity, for the good of the show. You have to be willing to rehearse for hours on end, learn your lines, eat less than usual, relax properly, talk only when you’re supposed to, focus, bring in food, join committees, organize things, wear tight/ugly/uncomfortable costumes, build sets, be half naked in public places, have little to no outside life, and carry the weight of other people on your shoulders.

But what you get in return is the greatest thing in the whole world. You can always count on the fact that when you need help you have a huge support group ready and waiting. When the weight gets to be too much, you have people to help you carry it. You have friends that you will have for life, that will never desert you, that will be loyal and true and always there for you. In return for all your sacrifice, you get camaraderie, the special bond that comes from the shared pain of a corset, the shared confusion of a concept that no one gets, or the shared satisfaction of a show well done. I made the best friends of my life thorough Encore, and I want to remember it as the place that united me with wonderful people, not the place I came to hate because of all the bad feelings.

Encore used to be the most intimate, loving, caring, supporting, and wonderful place in the world. Rehearsal used to be something I looked forward to, and something I never wanted to end.

This year is Encore's anniversary. We are going to celebrate the past. However, if we are going to have a future we need to recapture the Encore family. Without supportiveness, caring, love, and hard work to hold Encore up, it will fall down into the ruins of selfishness, laziness, and hate. I cannot stand to let that happen, so I have written this public service announcement. I hope that you all take a part of it to heart, even if you disagree with some of it.

Comments

[kelliann1388.livejournal.com]

I wish encore was still like that - I never got to call Mrs. Archer Cathy - that ended halfway through my freshman year. And now everything is so just hostile. It's definately not a good thing. As a side note, we are trying to start playing games again......

Thank you megan

[(Anonymous)]

Finally, someone who remembers encore in the good old days where life was shitty, but we still could all laugh about it and help each other out. Someone who remembers when we could call Cathy and Ron Cathy and Ron and how some how that made encore more of a family. Finally someone who is as fed up with all the selfishness, laziness and hate. I would just like to share something. When I was in Encore, all seven years of it, there were some seriously bad times. There was fighting, there was open hostility, there was hurtful words thrown around. But you know what? People felt like shit for saying such things to their closest friends. Apoligies were throw back and forth almost faster than the insults. Grudges were held, but kept silent. People got along, because we had no other choice. If we fought, we were miserable. The show never went smoothly when there was unrest in the cast, in the crew, or between the cast and the crew. People knew that, and somehow, managed to swallow their pride. And we had fun. We forgot if things at home were shitty. We forgot if our grades were bad. We forgot that we hadn't slept properly in days. We had fun. And in all honesty, I'm hard pressed to remember the specific details of the bad times before we had to start calling Cathy and Ron, Mrs Archer and Mr Lurvey. I can tell you that there were some bad times. There was one time where Jen wanted to shove a pencil through her eye after a tech meeting with Ron, but I can't remember why. But I could tell you funn stories til I died. You remember the good as long as that's what you focus on.
So I guess what I'm saying is every, listen to Megan. She's right. And If you ever listen to me about anything...it should be this. Remember the good times, forget the bad. You can't help it when things go wrong. That's life. People forget things, people over react. People can be mean. But if everyone tried to make Encore like it was in the good ol' days, then maybe Encore will go back to being the way it was.
The 20th anniversary is this year. It's a time to remember the past. Well instead of just remembering the past, bring it back. I love you guys so much, you are all still so much of a family to me.
So that's my addition/aggrement to the public service announcemt that Megs my hero decided to post. Thanks for letting me babble.
Heather Lyman

[lostinthe-stars.livejournal.com]

Megan, That hits the nail on the head. What a well written speech. I couldn't agree more..even though I dont go to Rutland anymore, that speech is amazing. I think you should stand up and read that in a public place. Because it is wonderful. And true.
Stephanie

Thanks Guys

[leia131.livejournal.com]

Thank you two for agreeing with me. I fully intend to make this more public. The point of it is to let everyone in Encore know. And Heather, you really helped clarify my main point, which is that sure it wasn't always a perfect bed of roses but it was fun. We were a dysfunctional family, but we were still a family. I miss that.

[haveaday510.livejournal.com]

you are totally right. I remember that Encore. we were a family. if encore was as full of drama (so to speak) and hate when i joined my freshman year as it is now, i probably would never have become a part of it. i dont remember the social drama and the hate and the who's-not-talking-to-who-why my freshman year... and it sucks. that's why i was happy to leave. because the big dysfunctional family became a war of the roses and i want no part of it anymore. sad. but i hope someday someone comes along who can bring it back together. good luck.

*tear*

[limpnoodles.livejournal.com]

omg your 100% right Encore is Exacticly what you said, (even tho i was only in Encore for *ahem* 3 days filling in Stephies Spot in SMing Charlottes Web (which rocked my Black Techie Sox) Everyone Was nice to me, Everyone called Mrs Archer Cathy (well i called her mom Still do) *sigh* things SUCK when they change...Bah bah bah...Even Chris himself has Changed, and im all like FUCK HIM...But yeah Encore...*tear* Live it, love it, Loose it...thats how it all goes..Everything Great blows away from your hands eventually...one way or another we loose everything we love...depressing i know..but true...

love you Megan

-Fahn-