Cafes, Community, Connections & Gratitude

Let me begin where I always like to start—with gratitude.

I’ve experienced a swirl of emotions this past weekend, but the feeling that rises to the top is thankfulness.

The Arts Garage produced two performances of my first full-length play, The Café on Main, on Saturday. Two nearly full houses turned up to see a story I’ve been working on, in various forms, for two years. Friends, family, and fellow theatre lovers came out and seemed to have a good time. I’m so thankful. And, truthfully, a little relieved too.

Putting a show “on its feet” is hard work.

Really hard work.

Luckily, a team of dedicated people came together and gave up their nights and weekends for weeks on end to learn lines, design the production, and tend to the seemingly endless details that make a show happen—a show that runs, and then disappears. It’s a labor of love, because nobody’s getting rich doing this. Still, there are rewards.

Those that make plays come to life believe. They believe in the magic and importance of theatre. They believe that in a noisy world, coming together to tell stories that make us laugh, cry, and think still matters.

Theatre artists exist to create worlds. They build characters and places.  They hope that their words, songs, and performances stir something in us. It’s a tremendous challenge. Hours of thought and preparation go into a show, and then the lights go down and you hope to win over the audience. It’s a high-wire act—thrilling and more than a little scary.

It’s  also intoxicating.

I sat in the audience for two performances hanging on every word and aware of everyone around me. I was rooting for the actors on stage who have become friends. I was thinking about the director and the tech crew and I was fixated on the audience. Would they like it? Would the play land? Would it move them, make them think and make them feel?

At intermission during our evening performance, my friend Diane Franco turned around and told me: “Jeff, you can hear a pin drop.” She was genuinely moved and those six words put me at ease.

As a playwright, hearing your words brought to life by talented actors and a gifted director, stage manager, and tech crew is a feeling that’s hard to describe. Writing can be lonely—you sit staring at a blank screen, trying to put words together that make sense, and you rarely know if they reach anyone. But theatre is different. You start off alone, and if you’re lucky, a theatre takes a chance on your work and suddenly your words are alive in front of an audience.

A few months ago, I traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to see my short play Press Conference performed as part of the “Brave Stories” festival. There were over 500 entries from around the world and only four were selected. I still don’t know how mine made the cut, but I do know how rare and special it is for a play to make it to the stage. Most never do—they sit forgotten in a drawer or on a hard drive.

In today’s world, live theatre faces real challenges. The stages that remain often lean on the classics—West Side Story, The Producers, Chicago—leaving little space for new voices. That’s why I’m so grateful to The Arts Garage for giving new work a chance.

President Marjorie Waldo is a brave visionary who has built something remarkable in a tough climate for the arts. Artistic Director Michelle Diaz, who worked so closely with me on The Café on Main, is a delight—smart, insightful, and caring, with a wonderful touch and instincts that are always spot-on.

I’m also deeply indebted to Director Marianne Regan, who first set me on this late-in-life path through the Playwrights Festival she and Dan Bellante produce at the Delray Beach Playhouse. The Café on Main began as a short piece there.

For this production, we reunited the original cast, minus Diane Tyminski—who couldn’t join us because she landed the lead in Tenderly at the Delray Playhouse. (I’ll be there next week to cheer her on—she’s incredible.)

In her place, we welcomed Raven Adams, who absolutely knocked it out of the park. The rest of the cast—Peter Salzer, Shelly Pittleman,  Nancy Ferraro, and Sergio Fuenzalida—blew me away with their talent, dedication, and heart. They rehearsed four hours a day, met after hours on Zoom, and even stayed late to run lines. During rehearsals, I’d see them tucked in a corner of the black box, urging each other to dig deeper. All in service of the story. It was awe-inspiring.

There’s so much local talent in our area. It’s humbling to watch these actors bring characters to life while balancing jobs, families, and children. That’s real dedication to craft.

Regan–as she is affectionately known– led with calm and creativity, making the process joyful and supportive. Her right hand, Michelle Popken, and her husband Dave provided invaluable technical and script support. Elena and Bruce Cherlow—who had walk-on parts—helped everything run smoothly and were there for their friends every step of the way.

What a wonderful experience.

My first full-length play. In my town. About my hometown. In a venue I adore.

I’m grateful.

And I’m also inspired—to keep writing, to keep learning, and to keep telling stories that reflect the world around us. The Café on Main reminded me that art connects us in ways nothing else can. I can’t wait to see where this journey leads next.