This summer I am working as an actor at Tuacahn, a professional theater company in Ivins, Utah that performs three shows in rep for the summer and early fall months. The space is an amphitheater that seats 2000 people. The shows represented this summer are The Sound of Music, Les Miserables and Big River. I opted to be in two of the shows, The Sound of Music (I play Sis. Berthe/Frau Zeller/Elsa Understudy) and Les Miserables (I am in the ensemble). It has been an enjoyable summer and I have met many amazing people and am learning a lot about my craft and myself. But there was one night that things didn’t go so well for me and I didn’t see it coming… I consider myself a strong and healthy individual. Rarely do I need a doctors care, I exercise regularly, try to eat healthy, and take my vitamins daily. I do get sick, colds and the like, but it is never chronic and I usually get over it in the normal 10 day period and then months will pass before I get sick again. I mean, I even had all three of my children naturally without the use of any kind of drugs! But a couple weeks ago I was doing a performance of Les Miserables and I am almost through the first act when my health took a downward turn. I was wearing a costume of five layers and the outside layer was heavy burlap that covered a good ¾ of my body. The sweat was pouring down my face and I thought, “This is not normal, I usually don’t sweat like this.” I discounted it thinking that because I was outside, working on stage in the desert heat, with stage lights and a heavy costume on that I would be fine and that everything was normal…just get through the scene. As I walked off stage I noticed I wasn’t keeping my normal pace and by the time I got to the other side of the stage for a costume change I needed to sit down. I grabbed my water bottle and took a minute to rest. A friend sitting next to me said that I didn’t look well and should go into our air conditioned green room (actor’s lounge). I excused myself and stage management was notified that I would not be going on for the next scene which was just a group scene and I wouldn’t be missed. I sat in the green room with my wig off taking in the cool air. I was flushed and lethargic. The assistant stage manager, Bernadette, came in and started filling, me with fluids. She left after a few minutes to take care of something and told me to stay put. I could hear that we were getting close to the finale of act one and I didn’t want to miss that and felt that I could handle it. I was feeling better, I would be fine…I snuck away to be on stage… End of the act everyone is running off stage and I am in slow motion. I know something is wrong, I start to go weak in the knees and I feel a feminine arm take me up on the left side then another on the right. My body tenses and relaxes, frowns, laughs and cries. I can’t get control of myself. I start to get scared and angry. I want people to go away and let me sleep. They won’t go they keep trying to get my clothes off and my shoes off! “No, my feet might be stinky”. I hear myself say. I see faces all around then it goes black and that repeats over and over. Each time a different face, but each time the same expression of concern and compassion. I hear a deep baritone voice right in my ear. “Do you want a blessing”?...“God?...Who is that”? I say in wonder but with an undertone of irritation. “Brodie” comes the reply…a friend, relief…I am not dying...“Yes”, I say. Then I slip away and still aware of what is going on but having no control of my limbs. I feel my head veer to the left and my body start to twitch…it has a mind of its’ own. In a steady cut time my body is seizing and I hear a female voice say. “That’s not good”…and she fades away. Three men, maybe four gather around me and place their hands on my head and give me a priesthood blessing. When asked my name I give them my maiden name “Tamari Anne West”…a little hesitation, a little giggle…“Dunbar”. I am comforted by the blessing and the familiar voices of friends around me. Then one cuts through them all and I feel soothing hands on my hands pulling me gently to sit up. I oblige. “What is my name”? He asks. I answer as if I am in love, “Ryan”. I smile broadly and can’t take my eyes off of him between slow blinks of my heavy eyelids. He asks me questions the regular doctor routine. Gathering the history and then he taps my knees and my reflexes are out of wack. He looks into my eyes and has me follow his finger and then he has me flip my palms up and down quickly. I can’t…do it…my mind is racing…I should be able to do this!!...but my hands are slow, clumsy and look kind of pasty yellow…what’s that about? I lie down and I start to get the chills then the sweats followed by the chills. A vicious cycle. I drink water and Gatorade and eat peanuts and an apple slice…after an hour I am back into my body again…just feeling frail and kind of foolish that I caused such a commotion. I am sad that I couldn’t be in act two…but it was fun to hang out with Fantine, Cosette, Eponine, Javert, and of course my hero of the night Bernadette! I learned that I need more than just water to survive this summer and to prevent another heat stroke episode. I am now on a strict regimen that keeps things balanced in my system and keeps me properly hydrated. It has worked so far and there have been some pretty hot nights! It is a good lesson on taking the doctors advice and taking care of myself even if it doesn’t seem necessary. (I want to thank Cynthia and Tazia for “carrying” me into the green room that night and to Shawn, Rick and Brodie for the blessing!)
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