The Great Food Raid

Something that is more important about film and stage productions in which I have participated than about anything else is the food. People fulfill their responsibility out of responsibility, pride or fear of the whip from the director or assistant director, but they do it more gladly when the food is good and plentiful. While the quality varies, what seldom does is the amount of it. People never seem to want to take any home, though I do.

What can be difficult is getting at the food sometimes when your job takes you away from it. I was doing a thing for a church play and my task was up in the balcony. The food was down in some basement. The house had opened, putting hordes of people in between me and the food I knew was out there. I had to come down the stairs, go through the lobby and through the house to reach the stairs down to that basement. It was quite a journey.

I'd like to say the reward was all worth it, but that is only partly true. Regrettably, I detected the existence of food far too late, and never was officially apprised of it. I sort of liked that, adding as it did the element of a covert, mischievous mission. Sadly, there was all too little left, but I had at least a token trophy to bring back with me up to my perch in the balcony. I never was reprimanded in any way, lessening the fun.

There was less fun still in a subsequent food grab the following day, but the reward was significantly more substantial, and easy to get at. This last point had me feeling more like a lowly vulture than a courageous, active Tom Sawyer type. Somehow though, as I eat the food which I took and shepherded home on the subway (which is not free of risk), I think that I'll manage to overcome that shame and enjoy the free food. I always do.