make it or break it.

I accepted a job for this summer. I am directing a musical! This is a first for me. I am definitely stepping out of my comfort zone.

I am directing for a youth group that is mainly homeschoolers. This is not a first for me.

It is also stepping outside of my comfort zone.

I've retired from "my" theater troupe of many years. "My" troupe was usually mostly homeschoolers, often far too conservative for my comfort. The balance of fun to frustration had tipped in a few instances, such as in a particularly poisonous experience with a comedy.

So, I am wondering why I've accepted a job with a far more conservative group?

Especially after today's meeting, when we dithered and dithered- well, *they* dithered and dithered- over the way to "handle" the kissing in the show *they* chose- The Music Man.

I'd talked over the issue- the issue of "fixing" an artistic work to make it more "comfortable"- as the one issue that I would have trouble with- at our first meeting. While there are some- minor- adaptations that might be made to this show or that, at some point, you have to make your artistic stand.

Because there will always be someone who wants push the adjustment and push and push until you finally are left with something that is bland and uninteresting and not theater and not the artistic work created by the playwright.

I thought that they had heard me. And here we are again, at the very next meeting, back at the same issue.

I am wondering if I made the right decision accepting this job.

One of two things will happen.

I'll help these folks learn to stand their ground on their theater artistry. After all, you can't make all the people happy. You can only stand on the work you believe in.

OR

I will be cured, once and for all, of this need to work with conservative groups.

On the one hand, life is too short to be forever fighting for your right to artistic integrity. As noted in a smart post, it's time to speak with my own voice.

On the other hand, how many young people or families have I introduced to a wider world than what they would have otherwise known?