You, Again

The Neon Lights

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway. At 8 am on Monday morning, they were glaring. Devin squinted behind her sunglasses as she walked down the block towards her first theater of the day. Per Christine's email, she was supposed to meet Dave Ingram in the morning, "when the theater opened". She sipped her ice coffee. It was 7:56. The Public had opened at 8 am to staff and crew. She assumed the schedule still applied to the CDI group.

She patted herself on the back for being early. She had no idea what the day was about to entail but she didn't care. There was a paycheck in her future and if it involved being in a theater, she would be more than happy to do whatever was asked.

A half hour later, Devin wasn't feeling so joyful. Dave Ingram was nowhere to be found and her coffee had kicked in making her both antsy and desperate to pee. It was a dicey situation at best. She checked her phone for the thirtieth time. Still no messages or emails. Where was this guy?

Hedging her bets that someone would be around she walked to the box office and knocked on the window. After a few moments an older woman popped her head from around the corner.

"Sorry love, we're not open. Come back around four if you're looking for same-day tickets." She had the faintest hint of a Welsh accent.

"Oh hi, sorry, I'm not looking for tickets. My name is Devin and I'm supposed to be meeting Mr. Ingram here? But he's running as bit late. I was hoping I could use your restroom."

The woman eyes her cautiously. It was unlikely that at 8 am there would be a nefarious reason for wanting to get inside the theater. Especially by a woman who appeared to be in desperate need of the loo judging by the way she was bouncing on her feet."

"Alright, come on in. I haven't seen Mr. Ingram yet today. Devin you said your name was? You might want to give his wife Christine a call if your lost. He doesn't tend to show up until 10 or later on Mondays. You know, with the theater being closed and all."

It was at that moment that Devin realized she had made a mistake. It was Monday. The theater was in fact closed. As it was every single Monday. Christine had alluded to the theater being open. If she heard about this she would think Devin was a complete idiot. Who shows up on Monday morning at 8 am to a closed theater. She flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh god. I'm sorry. I just remembered. It's Monday and you guys are closed. I'm so sorry, I got the day wrong."

"Ahh new to the industry are you? Well welcome to your unofficial first day of work and you can still use the staff bathroom. I'm assuming your staff if you're here to meet Mr. Ingram at this godawful hour." The woman gave a slight chuckle and grabbed her keys. She disappeared for a few moments before appearing at the main entrance. She ushered Devin in. "I'm Betsy. Welcome to the Gershwin."

"Devin thanked her profusely before making a beeline for the bathroom on the left. When she exited she found Betsy right where she left her.

"Since you're here already, would you like a tour?"

Devin nodded enthusiastically. She had been in this theater before for shows but had never been backstage. She followed Betsy down the aisles with rows and rows of seats waiting to be filled. She pointed up at the ornate ceiling and the old box seats that were remnants of the original design. She led Devin around the side to the back of the stage and suddenly she was in the wings.

"Go on. You know you want to." Betsy gave Devin a slight push onto the stage. She tripped forward and caught her balance. She had never been center stage before. She enjoyed the work that went into building a show, curating the people and skillsets required to take a show from idea to event. She rarely if ever engaged with the actors. Their paths just didn't seem to cross. But being center stage and looking out at the empty seats rife with expectation she suddenly understood what it mean to feel in control. She understood what it could feel like to be the person who held everyone's attention. With each note, each line spoken she had the power to elicit emotions held so deeply inside that when they left, they would say "I can't remember the last time I felt like that."

She looked over her shoulder back at Betsy who gave her a massive smile then a wave calling her back to the wings.

"There now. Welcome to Broadway."

Devin smiled wholeheartedly. She'd been waiting to hear those words her whole life.