Thank You Notes

Grateful to See Live Performances Again

From Bianca Del Rio to The Nutcracker ballet

Last Saturday night, we went to see The Nutcracker as performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. It felt like a unique pleasure to be out celebrating a holiday experience with other people, as though a general but unspoken goodwill filled the theater.

I appreciated how many people it took to make the production happen. The Nutcracker has a large cast of professional dancers as well as young students. The PNB also performs with a live orchestra.

I thought, too, about everyone taking care of the costumes, sets, lighting, and more — plus all the ushers taking tickets and helping us to our seats. The ushers seemed eager to offer us advice for improving our experience, such as offering a booster seat for my girlfriend’s nephew.

Other people helped us, too, like the bartenders who served wine and bottled water, and the lady in the gift shop who rang up our transaction for a Christmas tree ornament modeled after the character of Mother Ginger.

This is only the second time my girlfriend and I have attended a live performance together because we met during the pandemic. The other time was in October when we saw drag queen and comedian Bianca Del Rio perform at the Moore Theatre.

When we went to the Moore, I appreciated all the efforts of the theater staff who checked our vaccine cards and identification at the door. This process was pretty new to everyone, and it took so long that the show started late. I noted the patience and care among the staff and audience alike.

Living in the Seattle area, I used to take performances and arts events for granted. It used to be so easy to go to a play or see a concert or even just to catch almost any current movie. I’ve missed these outings and thought about the people whose livelihoods rely not just on performing but on keeping venues open and running.

As live performances return with precautions and new guidelines, I feel grateful we’re offered these opportunities to leave our homes and have socially distanced but very connected experiences of artists sharing their work with us.