London Test # 3: This IS a Dress Rehearsal

A colleague in the 90s sported a pillow in his office that stated boldly, “THIS IS NOT A DRESS REHEARSAL”. The notion seemed to be that we should embrace the moment rather than think of our present circumstances as mere preparation for some more consequential defining ‘light-bulb’ moment. Very Ram Dass, Be here now’ sentiment. Production of a play makes that concentration both necessary and difficult; the focus needs to be on what is before you whether setting a sound cue or re-blocking an actor’s cross, but the mind also tilts toward figuring out where to pass out flyers for the show this evening and whether to launch ANOTHER Facebook ad. (Yes, in theatre, the self-promotion is always with you: tjelliott.substack.com/… ) And then there’s the real dress rehearsal happening today. The test is to follow the Beatles take on Ram Dass: We need to Be Here, There, and Everywhere. That’s part of the London Test