February 19, 2019
Dear friends, I’m at the Actors’ Equity Office in Chicago. Today we begin casting for next season’s Newsies, Paramount’s opening production for Season 9 of the Broadway Series. We’re on our lunch break and I’m typing on my phone. I can say how thrilling it is to attend the talent auditioning all morning in the room. Yet a sorrow hangs over everything. I tried to put into words a perspective on things since way before dawn, unable to sleep heavyhearted over the tragic national headlines about Aurora over the weekend. It’s been surreal, the sadness, the suffering in our community. The workplace shooting just a mile away at the Henry Pratt Co. manufacturing plant is clearly an assault on all of us. Our heroes in the Aurora Police Department selflessly charging into gunfire to protect us, give us so much hope, so much faith. But the 6 deaths including the gunman and the 6 officers wounded, 5 by gunfire, take a toll on all of us. It really is hard to bear. So let’s stop for a moment. Reflect on how much this has brought us together.
The prayer vigils in our town over the past few days show us the strength of our community, our resolve, our hope for the future.
How while we have been terrorized by this, we have been made aware of how much we mean to each other. How much we love each other. Let’s pause in silence to remember this love and loss. The prayer vigils in our town over the past few days show us the strength of our community, our resolve, our hope for the future. Never Again, takes on a new meaning for us now. It’s personal. It’s literally hit home. God bless us and keep us safe. Protect us and have mercy on us.
Love & thanks,
Jim
