Redefining Words

Tonight's rehearsal really had an impact on me. As we had finally finished reading the entire play (a 6 hour feat), discussions and analyzations were finally in full swing. And as we were discussing specific elements of the characters, one cast member brought up the idea of "coming out" out of the context of being gay. She referenced coming out with a certain political affiliation or religious beliefs and suddenly, the play was directly relevant to my life. Reid asked the group what the political demographic of the theatre community tended to lean towards and nearly everyone automatically said liberal or democrat. He then mentioned that some people in the group might be Republican...which alarmed several cast members. And that really resonated with me. I'd never really thought that I was "hiding" the fact that I'm conservative...I just opt to not bring it up with general company because I'm not knowledgeable nor willing enough to debate my ideologies with some of the most passionate people on the planet who will make attempts to shoot me down. But now I think of it in a whole different context. And although I will still not vocalize my political views (I honestly hate discussing politics as it tends to pull my closest people apart), it's giving me something to think about.