Three years ago, I sat in the kitchen of Amy and Everett Wood. The Best of Bull Skit show, and with it their sixth season, had just ended. And the season always ends with a party at Chez Wood. My role that year was as a volunteer. I felt welcomed in as part of the Bull Skit family since Day One, but I wanted to do more. Auditions to join the cast were days away. I was so excited about the possibilities, but I was in awe of these people, and I was afraid that I may never be that good. But I loved improv, I loved sketch, and I wanted to be part of the action.
Three nights ago, I was back in that kitchen. Season nine is over. This time, as I looked around at the happy but exhausted faces in the room, I felt the exact same way. I made the cut in those auditions, and I’ve been riding the crazy-train with this crew ever since, but in that moment, I truly had a sense of what being a Bullskitter means.
-It means dedication, as you pour your time and energy into getting better, individually and as a cast.
-It means having to fit life in around our schedule, as we delivered a fresh show almost every week of the season.
-It means compromise, as you stay mindful that all of us have different agendas, tastes and styles to balance and blend together into our unique dynamic.
-It means understanding and support from your friends and family, as you walk out the door, sometimes for the fifth time that week, to head to the theatre. Or those moments where you ARE with them, but your head is stuck in the next show, or even worse, the last show.
But…
It also means that you get to look out off that stage, squinting through the lights, to see dozens of people there to enjoy YOU. To hear them laugh at what you and your friends have made. It means having a whole other family to go to every week. A place to go for escape, understanding, positivity, fulfillment and camaraderie. And when you’re with them, you get to create something unlike anything else in the world. Sure, there are thousands of comedy troupes, and many could be considered more “successful” depending on your metrics, but there’s only one Bull Skit.
Three years have brought a lot of change to this company. People have come and go, and because we feel like family, that is always hard. We’ve grown in every sense of the word. Veal Skit, once the junior crew, is now a full house team. That new level of responsibility was a bit scary, but we were ready for the challenge.
As we’ve grown and changed, I have done even more of that myself. I came in with no theatre background at all, and none of this felt natural to me at first. Even when I was “in”, I often felt like the outsider. The fraud who didn’t have as much to offer as the others. I didn’t have a lot of confidence. This group wasn’t having that though. They pulled me along with them, showing faith in me and giving me the tools I’d need to contribute. I’ve realized that the voice of doubt never fully leaves, but it’s much quieter now. I also know I still have so much to learn. There are a lot of little things a true pro does that I’m not doing yet, but I’m working on it. I don’t feel like I’m faking anything anymore. Now I’m a singing, dancing, screaming, shirtless, theatre-nerd comedian.
I’m a Bullskitter, and even after everything I just wrote, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.
Thank you,
B
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