Opening Weekend

Miss Greater Cleveland 2012, Meggie Wittman plays Laurey in MGP's 2013 production of Oklahoma!

When my wife goaded me into doing this year's latest show for Mighty Goliath Productions, I was hesitant. I am not known for my singing and dancing and all through high school and adulthood, I considered myself a pretty terrible singer and dancer. But nonetheless all my typical excuses for not doing the show were useless this year. I didn't have a job so I had some time on my hands in the evenings so I reluctantly agreed.

After a few weeks of rehearsals, I started to get into it. Once we moved onto the stage and started blocking scenes with actual set pieces and suddenly the show started to come to life, I really started to get into it. Besides being front and center in a tap dance piece, I am also up front for a lot of other numbers too.

I never realized how much I do actually enjoy being on stage. I haven't been on stage like this since my Sophomore year in High School. It is really energizing, and more importantly I had a lot of fun. No wonder why my wife has been doing this for close to 17 years and counting.

Throughout the process of doing this show, one thing driving me to get past my insecurity to get on stage was something more important. Mighty Goliath Productions is not a for-profit production company. It is a true volunteer organization all the way down to the director and production team. All profits go to the Avon Lake Performing Arts programs in the school system, giving them support in the world of failing levies and cut backs. To date the program has gifted over $200,000 to Avon Lake's schools.

Performing arts are culture. They expose you to a whole new level of experiences, and more importantly they force you to use your imagination. This is a cause that I believe in, and now that I have done a show in an organization my grandmother was a founding member of in 1959, well, it just seems right.

There are two more shows this weekend. Friday and Saturday 7:30pm at the Avon Lake High School Performing Arts Center. Head to mightygoliath.com for more information.

Stage Shows

By far the most challenging shooting conditions are when you are in low light. The camera is keeping the aperture open to get in all the precious light it can. You have to be perfectly still, like a sniper. Regulate your breathing, tuck in your elbows for stability, and be very light on the shutter button. All of this compounded when the subject is moving. You have now entered the realm of the stage show. 99% of the photos taken at a stage show are probably blurry.  Some artistically blurry, some just downright terrible. Every once in a while if you are patient you can capture a clear photo, like this one. The actors caught in a real reaction on stage. They are immersed in their character. There is nothing better. I live for these honest shots.

My wife has been doing community theater for 15 years. It started when she was in high school and she was considered a kid then. Now she has her kids in it. It is really cool to see what a bunch of amateurs can do when they get together for a good cause. This photo is from Mighty Goliath Productions' 2012 production of Oliver! in Avon Lake.

My Grandmother was a part of "MGP" during the early years some 50 years ago. It started as a PTA fundraiser and now helps fund the arts at Avon Lake High School. For more information on this theater group or to see how you can get involved, check out their website.