The Stars and the Moon that Started it All
By Christina Cate
As I sit down to write this, my very first column for ELEANORA (or any magazine, for that matter), I hear my mentor’s voice in my head, “Why should anyone care?” A question she would pose anytime an idea would be pitched for any given marketing campaign, event, or program I was overseeing at the time. It’s a damn good question. She would ask because it is so, so easy to get stuck in your own head and wrapped up in the things that only matter to you, and not giving much thought about how it could affect others. I have found it’s an easy trap to fall into especially as a creator and an artist (a term I still hesitate to deem myself).
Let me back it up a bit…
Young me.
I’ve been on stage since I was ten. I learned the art of storytelling through my training as a stage actor, and after five-ish years in the non-profit arts sector I decided to take my design and consulting side hustle full-time. I still sometimes get on stage, but ultimately I’ve found this new act starring as an entrepreneur and mom to be the greatest roles I never even auditioned for.
Backstage, during Gypsy.
Backstage, during Private Lives.
My son, Thomas James (TJ) Cate.
Recently I turned on the newly released Songs for a New World soundtrack. I was on a quick lunch break and I listened while I ate in my car (one of my favorite things to do, by the way, #nojudgement). I quickly skipped ahead to my favorite track, Stars and the Moon. Sung with so much sass by the one and only Shoshana Bean, it most definitely did not disappoint. Before I knew it, I started crying like a crazy person. You should know now that it takes very little to bring me to tears. I start to feel so many feelings all at once…and BOOM. Now, tell me, what else is a millennial to do other than pull out her phone and start to record?
This was the result. I don’t think I could have recorded a more perfect introduction to me as a human, my values, my aesthetic (lol), or my humor if I tried. That’s me, y’all. A little bit messy, but never quiet and hopefully you didn’t click away before I realized the camera was upside down.
But again, why should anyone care? Why should you care? Because if I do this right, maybe I can contribute a little bit to your cultural education (gulp!). Maybe I can make you laugh (because lord knows we all need a chuckle every now and then). Maybe you can feel a little less alone in your awkward-yet-somehow-still-functioning-in-public-ness. But, maybe this is also a little bit for me, too. And that’s okay.
I will end with this: when I think about ELEANORA’s concept and goal of creating 360-degree influence, I think about the power of theatre and the community of people you meet and fall in love with when you’re a part of it. Funny enough, I met Oh, Eleanora herself at the theatre. I met my very best friends at the theatre. I met my mentor and son’s Godmother at the theatre. I even met my husband at the theatre. I’ve bled, sweat, and cried on and backstage (…a similar experience to giving birth, by the way). It is my core. It is who I am.
So get up you scamps, get up you sinners, let’s share some laughs over expensive dinners.
Pre- or post-show–your pick.
Christina Cate
Columnist
Christina Cate spends her days drinking dirty chais, crying in her car, and being a totally serious business woman. Currently, she is proud to tote the titles of Founder + Designer of Cate Creative, Mom to TJ, Partner of Charles, and even Sometimes Actor. Connect with Christina at CateCreative.com, on Facebook @CateCreative and on Instagram @CateCreative.