Only three words come even remotely close to describing my reaction to Opening Night at the Hannan Theater in Raymond last Saturday*: OH MY GOD!

The evening began with dinner at Slater’s Diner in Raymond. Over a dozen of my friends gathered around to laugh and talk about the evening to come. I was, I admit, a nervous wreck, but the food, and the company, was good, and I felt their unconditional love and support for “come what may.”

We entered the theater and took our seats at 7 p.m. I “worked the crowd,” chatting with friends who had not come to dinner with the rest of us. It was like a big happy class reunion. We playfully joked and talked until suddenly, it was time— Except that there was a whole ‘nother play to sit through before my two came onstage. At this point, the wait was excruciating.

At the first intermission, the authors of all the plays submitted to the contest last fall were introduced and given certificates of participation. I received my certificates and a big bouquet of flowers from a former student of mine who is now a member of the playhouse.

Then “Queen of Hearts” (A Mississippi Riverboat Romance) came on. And all too soon it was over. Poof! Just like that. In a heartbeat, the curtain closed on over a month of slaving over my keyboard, fine-tuning lines and describing stage directions.

The second intermission was “champagne and hors d’oeuvres” time. There was food everywhere, and we had to scurry to get back to our places in time for the opening lines to “Dissention Among the Ranks” (What if the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery had all been women?). I tried to disconnect myself from the lines I’d written and the actors I’ve grown to know and love during the past six weeks and just be an average, everyday audience member. No luck with that, but I was able to be conscious of the laughter that abounded in all the right places. Then abruptly, this play too was over.

The whole evening reminded me of those “flip books” we used to play with when we were kids. The pictures go flipping by so fast it gives the illusion of animated motion. But there’s no way anyone could flip the pages at the warp speed my plays went by…

Hugs all around onstage after the third play, and the drive home was spent replaying the evening over and over in my head. What a night!

(* All three plays will be presented five more times during the upcoming two weekends. See Willapa Players in the side bar for more information.)