A Check (ChAnGe) Is Come...HAAA

Forrest Gump said it best " Life is like a box of Chocolates, You never know what you gonna get..." Who knew that one day I'd be touring with a black gospel stage play.....

Yup for the past year and half, I've been performing with an amazing, talented group of people in the Michael McCorkle "A Change Is Coming" stage play. We started doing shows throughout the DC area, and just this past summer the show hit the road to ATL, VA ,NC, and ended at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. As this past weekend marked the final performance, I will forever have bittersweet memories of the good/bad experiences.

Well what were the good times?

Ummm...well being able to perform in front of an audience, meet new folks, the soul food restaurants that showed us love on the road, and the traveling!!! I'd trade the cubicle thing for that any day...

And the Bad?

Well...when the curtains close, the lights go out, and all is said and done...Ummm next comes the pay check right???!!!! Nope... we'd (the cast) would go weeks/months without any mention of a paycheck, and when we did finally get paid the math just didn't add up to what was in the agreement. No big deal, because folks were just doing it for the love of it I guess....So we (the cast) just didn't press the issue... That was until one day we were all sitting around talking and joking around about when were going to get paid and how we should stage a mutiny, oblivious to the fact that our conversation was being recorded on a fellow cast member's camcorder. So long story short, the camcorder somehow gets left with the director and he watches the camcorder (I guess thinking that there was some backstage footage) and sends everyone a piece of his mind via email:

"Remember to turn your video camera completely off the next time you and your fellow cast members are speaking in private. No picture, but plenty of audio from the Kennedy Center down time!!! To ALL Cast...............A while ago I prayed to God to raise my awareness, and allow me to recognize any "weapons" formed against this production. I never would have imagined that some "weapons" would exist among this cast! If you feel that you can no longer make a committment to this production, or other interests prevent you from appearing for shows or attending rehearsals, SPEAK YOUR PEACE NOW! Furthermore, if you feel that your role is safe from being replaced or your longevity with this production exempts you from being let go......you're wrong! Many sacrifices have been made, and alot of money has been spent (not made!) to keep this production alive. We will not continue to do both for individuals who are not appreciative of the opportunity......or consider a "MUTINY"! WE ARE ON TOUR AND PERFORMED AT THE KENNEDY CENTER!...........IF YOU CAN'T APPRECIATE THAT, THEN MAYBE YOU DON'T BELONG WITH THIS PRODUCTION!!! All things must come to an end.........Strongly consider whether or not your end has arrived?"

So wait Mr Director guy, let me get this straight:

You agreed to pay us an allotted amount per show, but when folks start to ask about when we get paid your response is that "We're weapons formed against your production, we should be grateful that we're on tour, and most of all, we can be replaced!????"

Wordddddd??????

Well we've talked things out and came to the conclusion that there was a major communication problem, and that had things been communicated to us then this whole mix up could've been avoided. Really at the end of the day, we (the cast) were just having a personal conversation and joking around...everyone still continued to perform with their "A" game and kept the show going.

I believe if the Director really sat and thought before responding, he would see that we have been a pretty loyal cast to him through thick and thin. That email was soooo out of line, but hey, I guess that's what they call SHOW BUSINESS!

And yes ladies and gentlemen, The Check Has Come!

Amen.