I was the last person to leave the stage last night after we wrapped up the dress rehearsal of Up in the Attic.   It was 11 o’clock.  I was alone.  And it was quiet. Peaceful.   I marvelled at the set and the tremendous amount of work a group of volunteers did putting this attic together.     Just a couple hours before actors were on stage, giving it their all to a small crowd gathered to watch our last run-through before we open this weekend.

It struck me this past week that this production has been particularly emotional for me.  I wasn’t sure why until it finally dawned upon me (and it was obvious).   The play deals with a writer who is trying to write, who is trying to come to terms with her past and understand who she is, where she comes from and where she is going.  As much as Up in the Attic is about themes of passion and hope and what it means to have an ounce of faith in your life, the play is equally about what it means to create.   “The creative process can be such a beast” – that’s one of the lines in the play.  Up in the Attic speaks about how this writer attempts to slay that beast and find some peace.

For me, this is why I write…not just because I can, but to find that peace and to keep finding it.   It’s elusive, it’s intoxicating but it’s there for the taking if you’re tenacious enough.   In this play, that search for peace leads a writer to an attic.  I hope you come take the journey with her.  This weekend, Up in the Attic plays Sat. March 31 @ 7pm and Sunday April 1 @ 11am & 6pm at the StoneChurch.