Daddy's Work

It’s just past 9 PM on a Friday night and I am at work. I’ve been here since 9 AM. This isn’t unusual for me. I work in a general management position in a not-for-profit theater that produces plays and musicals and presents national touring acts and community events. There is a performance by a modern dance troupe tonight and tomorrow night. In the coming months, we will have rock and country music concerts, comedians, fundraising events, and community theater productions of Broadway musicals.

My hours are ridiculously long and still my work is never done. Being responsible for all productions and over 80,000 square feet of physical space takes more time than even my employers realize. I often have meetings with contractors or potential renters of the theater during the day and must stay for performances, rehearsals, production meetings or Board of Directors' committee meetings in the evenings. But it’s a job I love.

The hours I work unfortunately mean that I miss some nights at home with Clare and my wife. But there is some flexibility in my schedule too…flexibility that I need to begin to take better advantage of. For example, I’m usually not required to be in by any certain hour in the mornings so I get to spend some time with Clare then. I’m usually the one to make her breakfast, see that she gets dressed and ready, and drive her to playschool. When I'm not swamped with work, I should be able to get away during the day too. And when I don’t have meetings or performances to be at in the evenings, I pick Clare up from playschool…this is because my wife commutes over an hour away to work.

Clare loves my work too. How many kids can say that they have fun coming to Daddy’s work? Clare has a ball here and most everyone on staff and involved in productions knows her and loves seeing her around. She saw Cinderella here with her best friend Libbie in February, has actually sat through a band concert, and will come each December to see The Nutcracker. When we come to work during tech rehearsals, she loves running and being chased through the aisles and looking at the lights, sets and costumes for each production. And then there’s the candy from the concessions counter.

So my job does have downfalls. After taking a break from blogging to deal with some production and house management issues, it’s now after 10 PM. My workday might last up to another hour. But I do love the job. I’ve had jobs I hate and being happy makes all the difference. I hope that Clare will hold on to the excitement she feels when we come here too and think that Daddy’s work is pretty cool for a few more years to come.