Time for an Intermission

Over the past five years, as of this month, The Flying Elephant Company has striven to create pieces of theatre for young audiences that are emotionally rich and engaging. A memory I often return to for motivation is a teacher approaching me after the first school performance of my debut musical, Girl Inside, and handing me a sticky note with a message from her 6-year-old student, reading, “It’s showing everyone that you’ve always got one person in your life to give you confidence.” To me, it proved that what I had created was a special piece of entertainment that had successfully delivered an experience worth remembering.

In a return season of The Boy with the Golden Fox, a husband and wife turned to each other, tears in their eyes, and took each other’s hands when the Fox delivered an emotional speech about hope. During the premiere season of I Wonder, a child yelled, “I loved it,” for all to hear. The premiere season of Book Nooks saw parents – who themselves are somebody’s children – leave the theatre crying, for the story and music were worth the expenditure of such tears. Most recently, Giant Leap proved that audiences made up of students, parents, and educators found value in a piece that I had lost faith in partway through the development process.

Looking back on these past five years, I am surprised at how much was achieved with no funding and with works that were completely unknown and, therefore, gave little cause to suspect worth. With every season came a unique group of volunteers who made the work possible. Without these brilliant and charitable people, none of my work would have been produced. They had faith in my vision for the stories and for the company to which they so willingly contributed. However, the last two years have been especially difficult.

Behind these wonderful people is only me: an aspiring creative, a husband, a father – the latter two jobs I just adore. Although on two occasions the company and I have collaborated, lifting some load from my shoulders, there is no marketing or production team, no board, no funding body. Just me, a dreamer whose dreams felt too big to fail. This means that after every season came a period of exhaustion, which didn’t usually matter to me because I thought I was building something greater than myself. This aspirational momentum, I’m sorry to say, has slowed. Despite the creative output that continues to astound me, there have been too many financial losses, too much stress, and not enough reward for what labour has been so lovingly spent. Life outside the company is also busier while I have been completing my MA, dealing with some health issues, and the growing of other things.

And so, it’s time to take a break.

I am not angry in any way, not envious, nor bitter – just simply tired. And reminiscing on what the company has achieved – putting out four original musicals over five years – I can’t help but think of those who helped me along the way and the audiences who took chances on a young man with a dream. Thank you.

This is not an end, I should think, rather an indefinite time to pause and reflect. Once I figure out what comes next, I should very much like to let you know. For now, thank you all for allowing me this opportunity to indulge in the creative pursuit.

Until next time.

Benji