Being a native Midwesterner, and having just returned from the cold and snowy Chicagoland area after the holidays; it seems like all everyone can talk about is a vortex! Now, I got out of Chicago just before the polar vortex hit, so I didn’t have to deal with the below zero temperatures but we did feel it here in South Florida, too. With a high of 55 degrees on Tuesday, it was very chilly (and I apologize to anyone from up north who may be reading this), I even got to wear a scarf! So, this polar vortex brings to mind our own little vortex that happens here at Gulfshore Playhouse: we call it season.

Naples is a very seasonal town and between January and April, life gets pretty hectic! The population swells, and as a result the Gulfshore Playhouse staff starts working at warp speed to bring together three productions in just as many months. And the vortex is fierce: with so much to do and a small staff to do it, we are lucky to take a breather let alone have free time. And when we open our first World Premiere (I still get excited every time I say that), The God Game, we will be consumed by it until we are striking All My Sons at the end of April.

There will be to-do lists a mile long and thousands of people to greet as they pick up their tickets, and it is exhilarating. This is what we live for. If we didn’t, we definitely wouldn’t be in this business. Although, I could definitely go without so many people at the 5^th Avenue Starbucks when I’m trying to get my midafternoon caffeine fix, so if someone could please figure out how I could get the nice baristas to bring my latte to the Norris Center I’d be eternally grateful.

And with that, into the vortex I go. I have a feeling it’ll be a great ride.