Leigha Horton :: Greenroom
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I’m going to Nashville! Not until August, but I’m going to Nashville! All expenses paid! To act! And sing! And to get paid for it! Nicely! And only for a couple of days! That is all! Go back about your business!

A few weeks ago MPR’s monthly program, In the Loop, released a call for entries opining the topic of one’s relationship with work – they asked, “Do you live to work, or do you work to live?” My last greenroom entry, “The Faces In-Between,” was written in direct response to that call and an edited version was submitted for consideration. It ultimately didn’t make the cut for voicing and subsequent airing, but it did make the cut for a feature in their expanded text-version online.

I attended a live taping of the show in the UBS Forum at the MPR studios last Thursday night – a fascinating and enjoyable evening of live hosting, segue music, readings, “expert” panelists, and general audience discussion. I commented twice, and both comments were included in the final broadcasts (aired Friday and Sunday evenings last week – now available for download or streaming online) – apparently when I want my voice heard, I don’t take “no” for an answer.

Since graduating high school I have worked a bare minimum of 30 hours per week (even during my four years at college), and it never really complemented my raging sense of entitlement. I was meant to be an actress; my cost of living claimed otherwise. Last December I left my day-job after five years of indentured servitude masquerading as an assistant position in the non-profit arts world. My liberation from desk-work was prompted by a full-time, yet temporary, role performing on stage at a prestigious local theater.

That gig ended nineteen days ago.

Aside from a voice-over session here; a staged reading there; and an over-arching theme of panic relating to the next source of income; I have been blissfully unemployed since then. I now know what my mailman looks like. I have discovered the artists and freelancers and stay-at-home parents at the local dog park, even though I don’t have a dog. My internal clock wakes me at 9:24 am every morning. When taking my time, I make a killer sandwich.

Yes, I have tasted retirement. And it tastes good.

Alas, I am 28 years old and my unemployment checks won’t cover rent, groceries, AND my internet connection – therefore, back to the grind I go. I’m taking some contract work starting Monday to keep my standard of living and my sense of self-worth adequately afloat. The good thing is that it’s flexible enough to allow leave for auditions and one- and two-day shoots here and there when needed. The bad thing is that I’m already longing for my San Diego vacation next month.

I still have all my corporate clothing, and I still clean up well enough to look respectable behind a desk. I just consider it another acting gig – act normal, act responsible, act like I’m interested in business. I have several upcoming auditions this week and next – hopefully something lucrative will come of it. After all, it’s far more entertaining to play roles “outside the box.”