What's on your bucket list?

“We all shine on. Like the moon, the stars and the sun . . . evry’one. Come on.” ~ John Lennon

Did you have the chance to see the amazing John Lennon 75th Birthday Tribute that aired earlier this month? More than once I was moved to tears to see such amazing artists - from Eric Church to Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, and Willie Nelson - cover my favourite songs by my favourite Beatle. 

As good as their performances were, I think what moved me most was learning that performing a John Lennon song had long been on their bucket lists. Their incredible performances reflected the importance of the moment in their careers.

2016 is a big year in my family. My son, Brock, turns 18, and my mom, Susan Herbert, turns 65. We are busy planning two great ways to celebrate these milestones to recognize how special they are to all of us.  

Whereas my son’s plans are a big secret, I can divulge what is planned for my mom. 

She has always wanted to go to New York, but for a number of reasons, her travel plans have never worked out. New York probably tops her bucket list, which is why I am going to take her there in June. 

This trip is exciting, because it will be the first time in seven years that she and I have had the opportunity to travel on our own. Also, it is New York during the Tony Awards, and for a theatre person, that is pretty much the coolest time of year to be in the Big Apple.

In the theatre classes I teach to adults, some participants tell me that acting was on their bucket list, and that is why they registered. One middle-aged man in a playwriting class had never seen a play before, but had ‘writing a screenplay’ on his bucket list . . . and amazingly, he did it. 

His was a very ambitious and time-consuming goal, but this interesting gentleman completed his script, and, because he had the opportunity to work with us, saw several shows over the course of the three months we worked on his script. The script was great, perhaps because he had all those years to work out the plot in his mind before he actually set about to writing it.

I relate to these registrants. From the time I was a little kid, it felt as though I had to be involved in theatre, and performing in some way. Any opportunity to do so was something I enthusiastically grabbed onto. 

I was a very, very shy child, so it was difficult for me, but it was an uncontainable innate drive. So, when people tell me, “This is just something I would like to try,” it seems cool that they would try something for the experience alone, sometimes without knowing whether or not it will become a passion for them.

When it does become a passion for them, I am really interested to see how it unfolds.  Typically, these students are interested in taking more classes and auditioning for parts in plays, and some even get involved in the local movie scene. 

It is not uncommon for me to be on set with students, and to encounter them at auditions. It is as though something amazing has been awakened in them, and they, too, need to satisfy it in as many ways as they can.

Luckily, there is a myriad of opportunities to perform in the Okanagan. Whether it be with Shakespeare Kelowna (which, by the way, is holding auditions for Romeo and Juliet at the end of January), Theatre Kelowna, Kelowna Actor’s Studio, or Bumbershoot Theatre, the novice actor can find a place, locally, in the theatre world. 

Our company also auditions actors in early March, and although we typically cast experienced trained actors in our lead roles, actors can be involved in shows where the mandate is to include students and/or interns. We also have our improv shows, in which students are always included.

Pursue those interests that excite you. Make that bucket list, and seek out your dream experiences this year and every year. But be patient, just because it is on your list doesn’t mean it needs to be rushed or finished by a due date. Life so rarely unfolds that way, and really satisfying experiences are seasoned and savoured. And sometimes magic happens when you are not even expecting it.

In the words of John Lennon, ‘Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans’.

Happy New Year!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.