I have a box in which I keep old things that make me smile.  Notes, Cards, Trinkets, Photos… they all go in there.

Tonight I was taking a quick peek through the box and I found an old memento from 1997.  Back then, I stage managed a play that involved the use of firearms and explosives.  It was the final show of the season for a student theatre company called ENCORE! and it was the very first time that I would stage manage.  First time stage managing?  Let’s give Jen 2 guns and some explosives to look after!  Sounds safe, right?

And it actually was.  We were all very diligent about loading the guns properly, and for a group of teens, were very safe and responsible with the dangerous goods on hand.

On the final evening show, we did decide to have a bit of fun and we overloaded the exploding stove to really send the show off with a bang!  Loud, scary, and effective.

I was able to keep the stove cover as a memento… aren’t the powder burns lovely?