Playing the Part - Marina Gallino

After Shrek the Musical, we looked forward with anticipation to the next show at Centenary UMC. My husband was working for 3M on a rotating shift job, so our schedules were like ships passing. It was hard, but it was helping to support our family. After a while we fully committed to the understanding that money wasn't everything, and that for the sanity of our family life, we needed to be on a similar schedule. So last fall, Husband (as he is known to my coworkers) went through a brief series of temporary jobs looking for a more permanent change. That is a story in and of itself, but after a couple of months of uncertainty, he and I are now working for the same company in the same building. I remember seeing him on his first day of work and experiencing giddy butterflies, like when we were dating in high school. I didn't want to be the overeager wife and see him right away - I tried to play it cool. I waited until after lunch to see him. I didn't even go up to talk to him; I walked by his department and tried not to make eye contact. Then I laughed, which caught his attention, and looked at him looking at me. It was silly and fun. Now we have mixed feelings about it - it's nice to be able to stop over and see each other instead of texting and calling. But we actually have less to talk about because we experience the same things at work. And we see more of each other, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

With a more consistent family routine came more theatre. After all, once a theatre kid, always a theatre kid. The next show we were involved with was It's a Wonderful Life. Husband had the role of Uncle Billy, and I had the pleasure of playing Aunt Tilly. In the movie version there is no Aunt Tilly - she is made for the theatre version by combining a few minor characters. Tilly and Billy were married. It was fun to share a stage and interact with Husband in a show. I loved Aunt Tilly's wardrobe most of all - I had 5 different hats, 2 dresses, and many accessories to interchange with the various scenes. The cast and crew were great to work with, and we raised money for the Connections Shelter - a rotating homeless shelter operating during the winter months. The shelter rotates to a different church every Monday and houses about 25 people. There is almost always a waiting list. 

Then came the opportunity to try something new for both Husband and me - improv theatre. One of our cast members and friends was directing Tony & Tina's Wedding, and auditions and rehearsals started almost immediately after It's a Wonderful Life. We got to essentially choose the parts that we wanted to play. It was a very challenging and very rewarding show to be a part of, and the cast and crew were beyond amazing. Out of any shows that we have ever been a part of, this crew really has become part of our family.

My character that I chose to play is Marina Gallino. The backstory for Marina is mostly a skeleton, and the actor fills in the rest during the adaptation. Here are some of the notes for Marina:

• Has been set up on a blind date, who doesn't show up
• Excited to finally be part of the "A-list" in being a bridesmaid for Tina's wedding
• Loner - has friends, but the friends keep her at a distance because they don't like her that much

I had a real struggle playing this character, and at first I couldn't figure out why. I had to purposefully be placing myself on the outside of the circle of actors because of character development. I had to be looking forward to things that were never going to come, and for the sake of the wedding, I had to try to hold it together. I had a realization - I was having a hard time playing Marina, because I saw myself to be just like her. I had spent so long being an outsider in my own relationships that I lost all sense of confidence in myself and my own strengths.

I can't say the exact moment that it started to click for me. But what happened is that I started to see myself in a new light. I had to empower this character Marina to develop a thick skin for her - and I gained that perspective for myself as a result. The amount of personal growth is more than I would've been able to do on my own, and for that I will always be grateful for this show. Maybe it was the awesome wig that I wore for the show that helped me put on a character. 😉

Of course, there were some pretty unforgettable moments. The best part about the show is that there were no real lines to memorize, and that each performance was different than the rest. My favorite part of the whole thing was that I had a real working (fake) phone number printed on business cards that I passed out during the show for people to help me find my date. Out of all of the possible outcomes, I didn't think that finding a date would be one of them. But much to my surprise, I had a date (or more than one!) for each performance. The audience members were a riot to be with, and got really into the Tony & Tina world with us. That made it so much fun.

Positively Radiant

Marina's mantra was one of the most fun things that I added to the show. During a fight between the bride and the maid of honor, we were hiding out in the bathroom. I made the girls (and Joey) recite a mantra in the mirror to make them feel better. And now I have myself and Amelia Pond saying mantras when we need to feel empowered (although not the same words from the show - those were a little R-rated.) Feel free to adapt this to how it suits you.

Look into the mirror and recite these things to yourself:

I am strong.

I am confident.

I am kind.

I will do my best all day.

Because I am worth it.

Radiant God, sometimes we struggle to see our worth. The light starts to dim and we feel incapable and unworthy. Help us to embrace your loving kindness in ourselves and to share this love with others. Remind us that the only one stopping us from being our best self is us. Help us to grow and embrace who we truly are - the best version of who we were made to be. Let your radiance shine through us today and always. Amen.

Peace,
Positively Pastoral Jessica