By Walt Dulaney

Q. SWEAT-city! … what's that?

A. It's the harrowing audition that sieves Chorus Line's characters.

In Ron Bright's remounting of the Tony-wreathed musical, the desperation to win-the-job is paramount. The prize is not just employment, but time out from anxiety itself. The failed star pleads for a job in the chorus singing Edward Kleban's searing words: Let me wake up in the morning, to find I have somewhere to go. Throw me a rope to grab on to. Use me. Choose me. Give me a place to fit in. I'm a dancer - a dancer dances.

The recent Pearl Harbor closing scare prompted a lot of job musing that had more to do with comradeship and identity than making mortgage payments. At stake for our conscientious Pearl craftsmen was nothing less than the loss of the stage upon which they practiced their art and the theatre of operations where they wove friendships.

The Alliance's first president was Mr. Bright, and ADE was instrumental in igniting his Castle Performing Arts Center laboratory. A Chorus Line is peopled with alumni Mr. B. met in 20 years of elementary school ADE residencies. WORK is our 21st season theme. Briefing day we told teachers:

You shoo your own kids off to school daily so they'll never sport a license plate frame that sighs: I owe, I owe, so off to work I go. We collaborate to help isle students master the performance skills needed:

1) to win and hold jobs that tap their interests and utilize their talents.
2) to secure justice in our legal system.
3) to find joy in a loving network of friends and family.

Ultra-busy Rona Suzuki agreed to become our El Presidente last year on our pledge to accelerate dormant plans to insure all T-Shirt Theatre students and staff constructed a Life Plan. Mary Jane Ahrendes is on staff this fall to sys- tematically advance that goal and implement a tradition: on the last thursday of each month each of us will boldly print a new name tag proclaiming "in 2020 I'll be a …." As ambitions firm up, she'll seek mentors - you? (So what do you wanna be … next? Vocation or avocation - lay tracks now!)

Whenever I preview an upcoming performing skills residency, someone asks Why do we have to do this? My answer is brief, To prepare you to clearly ask the hardest line you'll ever have to utter: Please choose me.

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