Being seen

The band I play in had concerts this past weekend. We played, the audience danced, and we all had fun.

After one of the performances, a woman came up to me and said, "Excuse me, but can you tell me -- why is your face so familiar?"

I said, "Me?" and she said, "Yes, I know I've seen you -- do you play in any pit bands in community theaters?"

Ah. Community theater, eh? I'd had a feeling that's where this was going. So I said, "Well, I don't play in pit bands, but ... " and I explained about teching for shows at a couple theaters, and she said that that must have been where she'd seen me. Turns out she's friends with a well-known director, one I've worked for a few times.

Now, it comes as no surprise that people who are actually on the stage get recognized all the time. But it's true that even with what I do, audience members still see me climbing up and down from the tech booth before and after the show, or coming in and out of the green room at intermission.

So it is still probably true that a lot of people have glanced at me and noticed me, however briefly, and some fraction of them do recall seeing me just enough to say, "Do I know you?"