"God said to Abraham, 'kill me a son,' Abe said, 'man you must be putting me on'..." B. Dylan

There was that "one hit wonder," from the late seventies or early eighties, by, (I'm amazed I remember this woman's name), Melissa Manchester - "There's Got to Be the Morning After." I don't actually remember any of the verses (was she singing about a one-night stand?), just the chorus, but it was the line I kept hearing yesterday morning, in the wake of the Black Forest Benefit. I was back at the Peter Jones Studio with our skeleton crew, cleaning up, tossing beer bottles, emptying garbage cans. It was great to see the space, back to normal, (life-drawing was going on), artists were intently sketching, listening to classical music, as a nubile beauty was baring it all for art.

There's something to be said for consistency, persistance. It's how we actually accomplish things. There may be the burst of inspiration, but it always comes down to "carry through." The mission has been clearly defined, take our show on the road to an international audience. We have much work ahead of us, but that's the real kick, the reason to be doing this in the first place. The social aspect of this is really just a sideshow. It's important not to get distracted by the sound and the fury of the crowd. There's a contradiction inherent in theater. In many ways the writing, the acting, the directing is a very private affair. It's an inner journey. The "result," is then presented to a group, in a very public and open way, it's an exposure, a blood-letting, in some strange way, a sacrifice. It's important to stay detached, to not let the public aspect consume the performance, the performer.

"The Morning After," we are alone once again. Back to the source, back on the search...