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Many years ago I traveled between Washington DC and Atlanta,Ga.I found a charming inn right near my office and I did not have the hassle of driving to work.It was convenient and quite reasonable in price. I enjoyed it and the people were so friendly. The real Southern life style was evident and in place.

One year when I returned to Atlanta I noticed the inn did not have the same heterogeneous population that it once had. It had changed to a LGBT inn. This did not phase me one bit. In fact I looked forward to the show that the current population was producing. There is a complex and stimulating relationship between LGBT folks and the audience. It can be drastically odd,wonderful,engaging,creativ e and hateful. Sometimes this energy can be felt and endured, depending on your attitude,and your personal experiences. The audience is key to these shows because the performers must feel an acceptance. These shows must be relevant and believable.They have wondrous costumes, superb make-up and beautiful participants.I for one enjoy them thoroughly. The LGBT population is very sensitive to the audience and engages them like no other dramatic presentation of its kind.

I know for a fact that the performers spend a minimum of three-five hours preparing for their role.The devil is in the details for sure.The process of preparation is a show within a show. We have egos,drama, tears, and laughter.The participants develop a bond just as heterosexual actors do but their bonds are forged for more than friendship. Sometimes they are forged for protection which other actors can not even conceive of. So there is a dual bond that is created between the actors and between the audience and the actors. It is a study in human behavior that has achieved more importance today than it did forty years ago.The " times they are a changin". Thank the good Lord for that. When our society can accept people different than they and know that human beings are valued for who they are not what people want them to be the world will be better for it.

One evening, after helping people find apartments which was my job; I was chilling and met a young blond fellow, slight in stature with a winning smile. He was not only interested in what I did for a living but also what my other passion was. My other passion was the Theater with all of its drama, pathos, and roles. We became quite close and I sensed he was looking for a way to express himself. We talked and talked and I discovered that the young man was raised in an orphanage and had no real live male role models. After I shared with him that I directed, acted, wrote and produced for community theater he asked me what did I think about him going into the theater and in acting. I thought for a moment and replied," Are you ready to take on all of the people that would be involved with your choice of occupation? Are you ready in your own skin to be burned (not literally)joyously attracted and seriously taken? Are you ready to be patient, detailed, persistent, energetic and committed to your role,large or small? If you have thought about it and will answer yes to all of my questions than maybe I can direct you. Within a month we jointly decided that he would be an excellent impersonator
and I suggested Marilyn Monroe. Today he is one of the most famous impersonators of Marilyn.
So,gentle reader, you see what can happen with a chance encounter in a strange city with people that connect honestly with an open heart and deep faith in the human condition.

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