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Written by Jim Buske

God, what a great night it was. This is one that I’ll always remember. There were many things that touched me deeply – being on the stage with so many old friends, performing again on the old Isthmus Playhouse stage, feeling the support of the people in Madison when the show sold out – I don’t really know how to name them all.

Everyone in the show had a feeling it was going to be a special night but it exceeded all expectations. The actors were all standing in the wings when Jack walked downstage and said “Welcome to the first performance of Forward Theater Company.” The roar that came from the audience took us all by surprise. I mean, jeez, we hadn’t done anything yet. I loved being on stage to watch Colleen, Sarah, Michael, Richard, Celia & Sam, all old friends, work their magic on the audience. It was amazing watching Molly move from ingénue to vixen in about 70 minutes. And then the curtain call – unbelievable. More than anything I would have imagined.

The thing that will stay with me longest, though, happened off-stage before the show. The final run-through got done about 4:30 and a bunch of us went out for dinner. It was Colleen, Richard, Michael, Jack, Sarah, Jen and me. We didn’t talk about the upcoming performance. Never mentioned it. We swapped stories and laughed a lot. I remember thinking that this is what theater is all about – friendship and support. I’m looking forward to many more pre-show dinners and much laughter. Hopefully, Madison will feel welcome to come join us.

On Saturday night, Sam White came into the dressing room and said “Is there any place you’d rather be tonight?” I’m glad to be able to say I was there.