A Christmas Carol

I love watching plays, I love the fact that every performance is different, I love being apart of the audience; encouraging the actors and actresses; and I love being able to meet them after the show. But this year I got a bee in my bonnet and spent a good portion of the year watching play after play trying to build up the courage to actually audition for one. Finally, back in September, I did. I auditioned for a role in the Prosser Community Theater's production of A Christmas Carol (arranged and directed by Rick James). The auditions where nerve-wracking, I only knew two people there and everyone else where complete strangers. I thought I looked like a complete idiot, but luckily A Christmas Carol requires a large cast and a few days the director called and said that I was going to play one of the Charity Solicitors and Caroline. For those who don't know who Caroline is (I didn't at the time), she is in the Spirit-of-Christmas-Yet-To-Come's section, she is married, has two small children, is heavily in debt to Scrooge and is overjoyed to find out he died because he was going to throw them out on Christmas day.
On the first day of practice I met the guy who was going to play Caroline's husband; I had never seen him before, he looked 19 or 20 but was actually only 17, played football and when I asked his religion he said he was an Atheist (this pretty much struck terror into my LDS heart and I probably gave him a look like a deer in the headlights, he gave me the same look when I told him I was a Mormon). Then came our scene... there are three things this scene calls for that I have never done, been in, or felt, the first is: I have never been married and I don't intend to get married for at least another five years. The second: I have never been in debt so I don't know what it feels like to be so. The third is: I have never hated someone enough to be ecstatic when I find out that they have died. It also calls for a hugs, hand holding, etc. O_o
Before this play I had hugged about two boys to my memory (I kept count), I know I'm weird, but I just don't do hugs, I like to say that I respect people's personal space. But this scene called for not just any old hug but a dear-where-have-you-been-I-am-worried-are-we-going-to-be-thrown-out-what-about-the-kids? running, resting my head on his chest sort of hug *shiver of horror*. When the director told us this he may as well have been speaking German for all that I could understand (which was absolutely nothing) and for the next 4 practices or so I yo-yo'd between football tackle hug and EEEWWW-I-really-don't-want-to-touch-you hover hug.
Before you even get to the subcategories of hugs the three main ones are: the tall person hug (given by a tall person obviously, this hug is used when the receiver of it is shorter than you are and/or in need of comfort), the friend or stunt plane hug (so called because your arms are diagonal in preparation for hug, one arm is over the receiver's shoulder, the other underneath; this is given when greeting friends no matter how tall or short they are, unless they are really short) and finally the under the shoulder hug or I need comfort hug (the name supplies the explanation). I had to re-learn how to give a hug because as I am a taller person I usually gave the tall person hug or the friend hug but give a guess which one I had to do.
I ask you, how does one practice that sort of hug? Because the first 10 to 50 or so tries where horrible and could do with some outside practice and I can guarantee that none of my friends would be all that willing (or they would and I wouldn't).
Yes, this hug business is a big thing, can't you tell?
Anyway after the initial "What have I gotten myself into?" it turned out to be a blast, everyone was really nice, I loved working with the little kids and hanging out with the adults. The other Charity Solicitor and I had a tradition that every time Scrooge said his line about "boiled in his own pudding and buried with a sprig of holly through his heart" he and I would fist bump back stage.
I really miss the friends I made during the play and I intend to start being in other plays as well. :)