I’ve have had ups and downs. Good times and bad times. Artistic triumphs and personal catastrophes. I’ve spent what amounts to years in the town of Creede Colorado. It is as much a part of me as the town in California where I was raised.
I won’t be back this summer.
There, I said it; even though it’s not an easy thing to type, even now.
I’ve unconsciously put this off I suppose. I waffled over whether it was even needed, this melancholy goodbye. Granted 7 years is a long time, and Creede is now, as much as it ever was, my artistic home. To not return to see the Second Stage open, to miss the final part of Steve Cole Hughes’ trilogy, is a great loss to me. Therefore, I decided, yes, no one will suffer (too much) due to my post and I do have a few things to pass on. And while they may seem trivial, they’re apart of my life in Creede, and I want to see that they’re taken care of. Am I being a little overdramatic? I guess I ask for some indulgence then. I am in the theater after all; a little dramatics is to be expected!
Still, it’s not all sadness and loss. There is the future to look to! And to that end, I wanted to “bequeath” a few things to the returning company members, and maybe give some perspective to the new kids. So without further ado:
To Steve Hughes, I bequeath the Monday night poker game. It’s my baby, treat it well! Don’t worry, Travis has the chips and probably a good set of cards. Hopefully, he won’t be busy at the box office every night and can play! And as Susanna would remind everyone, play nice, no yelling at the table. 
(If you really want to set a precedent, get Touy to play)
To my dearest Sparkle Yarn, I leave you in charge of Jonathan’s sanity while he’s at work. Very few people know him as well as you do when it comes to not letting him work himself to death, as well as letting him decompress. And Elizabeth needs all the help she can get!
Jax, Boomtown isn’t mine to bequeath, but it’s with a heavy heart that I won’t be joining you again this year. Unsurprisingly, we’re finally doing an away game, the year I won’t be there! To the rest of you Boomtowners, keep those edits sharp and the scenes clipping! (And don’t worry Jax, I have plenty of people in Denver to make fun of me, so you don’t have to worry about me getting off easy without you around.)
To the new acting company I congratulate you on sneaking into a Mecca of art and community. Many great award winning actors have already treaded these boards (I’m talking Tony/Emmy as well as Ovation/Henry) and you are continuing the legacy. To the new tech crew, you have in Bohb, a sturdy soul and a competent leader. Soak in his ease while you can. Very few people attain such proficiency in their craft and remain laid back enough to tell the tale.
To the returning crew and actors, I already miss you. To single you each out for the high praise and respect I have for you would take a lifetime. So let it suffice to say: Hold your heads high, you truly are, pound for pound, the best damn theater company I’ve ever had the honor to work with.
And to Mo. I owe you more than I could possibly imagine. You took me in as a greenhorn and allowed me to flourish in this buffet table that is rep theater. I have retained and honed skills that would have long ago atrophied and sharpened skills (to what I hope is a high level) in the safest atmosphere outside a bubble. You’ve created the theater actors dream of and I am who I am, as much because of your faith in me, as my own effort. I write this with the happy knowledge that I am not the only person who can say that.
I miss you and love you Creede Repertory Theater. You are truly a diamond in the rough.
