Theatre Thoughts

My job at the theatre is fairly mundane. I spend most of my time on the phone with customers either answering questions or booking tickets. The good part is that by the time people hang up, they are happy to have their questions answered or happy to have theater tickets. Every once in a while I have to give someone information they don't want to hear (high ticket prices, sold out shows, etc.) and that can be unpleasant for me and disappointing for them. But over all, the interaction is pleasant or even fun. I get at least one comment every day about my accent which often leads to a conversation about the U.S. (places they've been, family they have in the states, what I'm doing here, differences between the U.S. and U.K., etc.). These calls are always entertaining and I'm constantly surprised by how willing the British are to have a long and fairly personal conversation with someone they've never met (or seen). One day I spent 20 minutes on the phone with an elderly gentleman discussing the presence of American airmen in Norfolk during WWII. The next afternoon I spoke with an American woman who married a Brit, moved to Norfolk, had a baby and then her husband left her. I don't mind spending hours on the phone. Each call gives me hints about the person's life even if we only discuss the current show or where they should park. It is the background noises that capture my attention. I've heard (to name a few) kids talking, televisions and radios playing, dogs barking when someone comes to the door, clattering dishes, exhalation of cigarette smoke, shaky voices of the old or ill, arguments, singing, a cukoo clock, construction noise, mail falling through the slot onto a hard floor, scales played on a piano, and chickens clucking. I automatically imagine what the house looks like and what their lives are like. To the person on the phone I know I am just a voice at the theater. I'm sure they don't think about the few minutes that we are connected and what they might be giving away about themselves.

~K