Dreamwell

It ocurrs to me that I haven't written too much about Dreamwell.

Apart from my children and my wife, Dreamwell is the central activity that provides meaning to my life. We (Sharon, Paul Chakrin, and Ali Zimmerman) created Dreamwell in 1997. This spring marks eight years of bringing theater to Iowa City. Eight years. That's twice as long as Rachel has been alive. Since 1997, we've produced 32 shows. Number 33 opens in a few weeks. We've done some shows I am really proud of, like Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Corpus Christi, and Rosenstrasse.

But the thing I am most proud of?

Surviving.

Let me explain what it's like to run Dreamwell Theatre. This is not my career, unfortunately. I don't get paid to do this. For most of the time I've been running Dreamwell, I've had a day job. So after working 40 hours (or more) a week, I usually work at least 20 hours a week doing various Dreamwell tasks. Now that my job is being a stay at home dad, I don't have the guilt of not seeing the kids very much because of work and Dreamwell, so that's better. But I still feel like I'm working two jobs. Fortunately, both of my jobs right now are labors of love. That makes it all a lot easier.

But you want to know the one reason I have been able to keep doing this all these years? Her name is Sharon. She's always supported my desire for Dreamwell. That has made all the difference.

Lately, things are better than ever. We have such a strong group of people working behind the scenes these days. I know that if it weren't for those people, this theater would have fallen apart years ago. They give so much and I assume that's because they believe in what we're doing. Believe in the intrinsic worth of artistic expression. But you know, it takes a special person to do the grunt work behind the scenes. Actors, directors, tech people - they are all doing something they love. Affixing mailing labels, discussing procedure in meetings, selling lollipops for a fundraiser - this stuff is not really fun. That's why I am so grateful to the people who work behind the scenes, the board and the various volunteers who have given so much. They are the heroes of the theater world. So the next time you go to a local community theater in Iowa City or anywhere else, thank the woman at the box office - she's probably a volunteer. Thank the guy who hands you a program. Thank the people behind the scenes. Without their work, you wouldn't be seeing theater.