ARTSTRINGS: The Woman in the Front Row Seat

The Artstrings series seeks to warm your heart and shine light on all the ways that creative and artistic experiences can transform people, communities, and the world. We hope these stories inspire you to become part of a much bigger story - a story that means so much to so many. 

The Woman In The Front Row Seat

The MAC was bustling that Thursday evening. We were hosting a theatre group called Speak Up Speak Out - a non-profit community on a mission to provide schools with a curriculum-based musical about bullying. The topic was tough, but the pre-performance energy in our space was electric, and the soul-searching music was hauntingly mesmerizing. Teens and adults were scurrying up and down our staircase, in and out of our theatre, on and off the stage.

During rehearsal, a woman drifted through our door, down our hallway, through our theatre, and right to a front row seat at a table below the stage. She seemed to be… well, hauntingly mesmerized. We let her relax and enjoy, never really seeing her face as she sat motionless before the actors. 

As showtime drew near, it became clear that we would have to ask the woman to leave the theatre, as it appeared she had made herself quite at home. We hated to do it, but the guests were about to arrive.

A light tap on the shoulder caused the woman to quickly turn her head around, revealing two black eyes with tears streaming down her face.  The alcohol on her breath floated in the air as the woman repeated over and over, “But, they are so beautiful. This is so beautiful. So beautiful. But, but…” 

There is no doubt that this woman drifted into just the right space at just the right time on just the right night. She had been touched deeply by the message and the music. She wanted to remain in that hypnotic space. That space that digs down into the soul. That front row space called the arts.