I would like to start by apologizing for my absence from a public online presence. My anxiety has been very bad the past few weeks and everything is just starting to turn around again. Not writing here and at Man, I Love Films like I'm scheduled to doesn't help my anxiety, either. It comes down to this. I've mentioned my work on Once Upon a Mattress before. I love working with the students, the director, the choreographer, and most of the staff.

There is an exception. This person is the other music director and they are cruel. There is no other way to say it. They make sarcastic comments about my work, they undermine my vocal rehearsals, and get downright combatant if they do not get their way. They also say incredibly hurtful things to the students while they're performing and then give horrible critiques when their performances falter after being told they're stupid, terrible, etc. while singing.

I have to expend so much energy prepping myself to not crack in front of the students and let this person win at their games that my anxiety outside of rehearsal has been very bad. It's not healthy and I cannot continue like this.

The plan is to report this person immediately to the administration the next time they cross the line. I don't want to get a new theater teacher without tenure in trouble, and I will make it clear that this staff issue puts him in an incredibly difficult position. The school promised both of us employment for this year due to their inability to find a theater teacher before the end of the school year. Contracts are involved, but the contracts are contingent on actually doing the job properly; this other person is not and the school needs to know.

And now, as a reward for sitting through that explanation, please enjoy my performance from that charity cabaret I did a few weeks ago. That was genuinely a wonderful experience. I got to meet some nice, talented theater performers and work, however briefly, with one of the top music directors in the area. He reaffirmed everything I know about teaching musical theater so I've had the confidence to do my best work despite less than ideal circumstances.

Here's "The Street-Painter's Song" from Amour.