The Teen Theatre Program Caper

In fall 2017 I interviewed to be a program teacher for a small theatre program attached to an arts college.

My MFA focused on theatre for social change and theatre for teens. Then I spent years teaching/workshopping/coaching theatre skills (and coaching teachers how to teach.workshop.coach theatre skills), so pretty much any time I applied for one of these jobs, I didn't have doubts about if I could or should do the job. The theatre industry is, however, flakey, and many times my applications were submitted only to die in a fat stack of emails somewhere. But, sometimes I got an interview, and I was an excellent candidate.

At the end of this lovely autumnal interview, which I had nailed, the lead woman shook my hand and said they'd let me know "either way" next week. Well, a week passed, but I know hiring takes a surprising amount of time. Two weeks passed, three. It was clear I was not getting this job, but I had been promised "either way" so I emailed asking if there was any news, if the hiring was over. I wanted someone to just tell me. No response.

I followed up again two weeks later. No response. I've always wondered. I've always always wondered. I just looked up the email. Thinking about bumping it. One time I hassled someone who owed me money ($75) 14 times over the course of 6 months before I was paid.