We wrapped up our run of The Heidi Chronicles yesterday afternoon. I am a little bummed today which is typical at the end of a show. True, I was REALLY worn out during the rehearsal process, but that was because I was completely over-scheduled. I wished we had more time to really bond since it turned out to be a great group of people. I am sorry that there was not time for a proper farewell, but thank you all for a good time  and I look forward to working with you again!

Fellas, I love you and all, but this post features the ladies.
 
Ok, this is going to sound politically incorrect, but I must speak the truth...I usually do not enjoy working with women. Before you cry out "Heresy!" and try to revoke my membership card, hear me out. In my personal and professional life, I have had some really traumatizing interactions with my gender. My most out-of-control managers were women. My worst jobs revolved around women. I would hear about how empowering it is to work with women, but I only saw it in scattered individual relationships, rarely in a group dynamic. Sure, I performed in a local production of The Vagina Monologues and had a blast, but I just assumed that it was an anomaly. Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of usually dealing with mean, insecure and catty females that took pride in trying to bring others down. I am happy to report that our little community theater play gave me the chance to see what it is like to be part of a strong female group.

The cast of The Heidi Chronicles features a total of five women and only three men. The ladies would often have long spans of time in between scenes when we sat in the dressing room together. We were all from different walks of life and on totally different journeys. Yet, we always found ways to encourage, console, and applaud each other. The conversations we had were incredible. We shared stories about our siblings, our children, and our significant others. We talked about our losses: lost loves, lost family members, lost dreams. We confessed our feelings of inadequacy and thankfully accepted the reminders of how fabulous we all really are. We laughed about the antics of the others around us (including poking a little fun at our husbands...all in love of course!) We talked makeup as we played with hair and wigs. We lamented at the unfair standards of what qualifies as "beautiful" and came up a shared definition of "sexy" (I think we can all agree it is all about confidence) We talked about everything from hormones to generational gaps. It was wonderful to see how open everyone was to each other. When one woman had a medical concern, we offered advice from our own experiences. At the end of the run, in honor of my future adoption, I received a bunch of children's books to start our collection.

Now I am finally a believer in the power of women. I realize all those bad episodes in the past had little to do with the fact that I was working with women, but more to do with the fact that I was working with insecure people. So, my sisters, if you would like to empower other women, the best thing you can do is get your own act together first. If you constantly feel bad about the person you are and what you are capable of, then it is too easy to find ways to cut other women down. C'mon, Ladies, we can most certainly do better than that! Let's not let self-hatred ruin it for everyone.

So here is to all the brilliant, sexy, savvy, caring, and all around FABULOUS women out there and to the lucky people that have the good fortune to know them. 

To my girls in the cast, it was an absolute pleasure working with all of you. Thank you for restoring my faith in our gender...Wendy would have been proud!