I was driving downtown a couple of days ago. When stopped at a red light, a woman crossed the street in a bulky coat and those tight, black stockings which seem so popular now. A split second passed and I was sure I had seen her before. Or had I? Aha! Déjà vu! Brain playing tricks on me. But no. But yes. When the light turned green, two names popped into my head, "Daniel and Christian"! That's right. The last time I saw a bulky top and long legs in black tights was on the other guys at our rehearsal of "I Hate Hamlet".

One of the side effects of doing theatre is that it leaves residue on the brain when you go back into real life. I often see things through the actor/director glasses before my normal glasses kick in. For example, 4 employees standing outside for a smoke in a perfect circle. One has his back to me (the director/the audience) and should turn slightly to the left. That way, we could see his face and it would open up the circle, creating a natural-looking scalene triangle. You always want your actors in an uneven triangle – until you deliberately put them otherwise. However, if I were to say to my colleague, "Could you turn a bit to the left and open up this circle for the audience? You're equidistant." I might even add a wink and a nod to confirm that it's a mistake we all make in the beginning. He probably wouldn't hit me...but he might wonder about my mental health.

There is a part of me that enjoys watching the world in "Theatre Mode", seeing people as actors with roles, and momentarily imagining the dissolution of that barrier between life and theatre. Oh...green light.