This week, I’m taking a voice acting workshop to improve my reading aloud. We’ve learned many techniques for breath control, projecting our voices from different parts of our body, dramatic uses of pitch, and building characters in various ways. These are all helpful and will certainly make a difference in my ability to interpret stories.

But something dangerous is happening. I’m rediscovering the tantalizing joys of acting.

Although I did theatre from high school (Nuremberg Community Players and the high school drama club), through university (Duquesne University Red Masquers) and my early married years (Upstairs Theatre), I was never so keen on acting—I enjoyed it immensely, but other actors were way better than me and I hated auditions. So I applied my meagre talents to technical theatre: costuming, lighting, props, set decoration and construction, stage management. I know my way around backstage in the dark.

This voice workshop is rekindling the excitement of stage work. I will have to be careful not to fall back into the theatrical world—too much theatre makes Kristen crazy.

I failed every course in my sophomore year of university because I spent too much time being a thespian. I quit a job once because they complained I took too much time off during productions.

Friends: do not let me audition or volunteer.