En L'air

Home from a two-day run of En L'air, a benefit show for Ashley House.
Good show all around, and great energy from the audience.
Broadway Performance Hall is also always fun. Capitol Hill has so much artistic energy floating around - inspiration strikes just walking to the theatre.
As I was just in one piece, I had plenty of time to people watch and observe what I am usually in the thick of during more hectic shows.
1. People like being insular. While it is true that one gets to know the people in their own dance the best, it is still striking that everyone (myself included) tends to stay within invisible boundaries, separating 'us' from 'them'.
2. If one violates the above boundaries and *gasp* tries to talk or sit next to someone outside of their dance, he or she is met with resistance. No rudeness or yelling, but a definite coldness. "You aren't in my piece, why are you talking to me?" is the subtext.
3. The poor people that are in more than one piece spend their backstage time frantically running back and forth between dressing room locations, trying to insure they haven't ignored anyone important at any and all check points.
4. Everyone leaves as soon as humanly possible once the show is done. The dressing room was empty about two minutes after the curtains closed.

I'm sure there is some deep, metaphorical comparison to be drawn between backstage life and real life - the need for structure, resistance to change, reluctance to step out of one's interpersonal safety zone, but I'm too much in that weirdtiredheadfloatylightsdizzyreallytiredmode right now to flesh it out any further.