I love the stage, but not necessarily on it though.

When I lived in New York, Broadway was less than 35 minutes away. The lights, the marquees, the magic — all practically in my backyard. But we were living paycheck to paycheck, and there was no extra money for theater tickets. Broadway might as well have been on the moon.

But I found a work-around.

Asbury United Methodist Church in Tuckahoe, NY wasn’t just a church. It was a performing place. A gathering place. A creative place, and course, a God place. It was my place. 

It just so happened that some very well-known members of our community ran a musical performance company there. It wasn’t officially part of the church, but it might as well have been — it lived in its walls and thrived on its stage.

The producer was Lu Moser, a widely read journalist and an incredibly educated woman. Her son Andrew was the set director and lighting expert — award-winning, and internationally experienced.

One day I gathered up my courage and asked Lu if they needed a hairdresser backstage.

She said yes.

They were working on West Side Story, one of my favorites. I nearly floated out of the room.

And here was the best part — I was able to bring my oldest daughter, Karen, with me. She was already in high school taking Cosmetology classes. What better classroom than backstage?

AST — as it was lovingly called — ran two shows a year. Two weeks per production. Two shows on weekends. Long days. Busy nights. Controlled chaos. And pure joy.

As my girls grew up, they earned their own places in the productions.

Amy learned lighting. And if you’ve ever seen a show, you know lighting is everything. Every cue had to be exact. She followed the script like it was sacred text.

Krista was younger, but she and her friend Audra probably had the hardest job of all — refreshment girls. They made sure there was always hot tea, honey, and healthy snacks for the cast. Hungry actors are not happy actors!

And once, Krista and Audra were even cast as boys in Fiddler on the Roof.

Other productions we worked on included:

• Oklahoma!
• Brigadoon
• Side by Side by Sondheim
• The Sound of Music and
• Damn Yankees, and a host of others.

But The Sound of Music holds a special place in my heart.

I decided to audition for one of the nuns. My logic? If I couldn’t hit a high note, I’d just move my mouth.

Audition day came. I was a nervous wreck.

There was a long table in front of me — Lu, Andrew, the piano player, people I knew. All eyes on me.

And I froze. Completely blank. I can’t even remember what song I was supposed to sing. My mind emptied. My confidence vanished. I just stood there.

Finally, Lu kindly said, “Why don’t you sing Happy Birthday?”

So I did. Guess what? I didn’t get the part.

But during rehearsals, I was in the hallway casually singing one of the songs from the show when the piano player walked by.

“Was that you singing?” she asked.

I apologized for ruining the song.

She said, “If you had sung like that at the audition, you would have gotten the part.”

That one sentence meant everything. I was validated.

Then one day Lu called.

“We forgot to cast the third-place winner in the Salzburg Festival. Would you like the part?”

“Yes!” I said before she even finished the sentence.I’d love the part of Fraulein Schwager!

No lines. No singing. Just bowing excessively while accepting my award.

And did I bow excessively!

Andrew had told me to take two bows and exit. But the nuns were watching me from the green room, counting my bows and taking bets on how often I bowed.

So naturally… I kept bowing.

On opening night, a woman in the audience shouted, “That’s Eydie!”

I thought I was in trouble.

Instead, I found courage.

I owned that stage for those few ridiculous, glorious moments. I bowed like I had just won an Oscar.

And strangely enough — that tiny, silly, over-the-top part changed something in me.

That was my last show. But, life moved on. I eventually moved to California. I opened my own Social Media business. Somehow my name began circulating. I started writing for the Business Press. I was invited to speak at Chambers of Commerce, S.C.O.R.E., Women’s Conferences and more.

Standing at podiums. Holding microphones.

All eyes on me.

And this time? I didn’t freeze.

Somewhere between singing “Happy Birthday” and bowing in Salzburg, I found my voice.

That grand church stage became my performing place.

And one mom who discovered that sometimes the smallest roles prepare you for the biggest stages of your life.

Eydie