(the following is a letter that I have just sent to the cast and crew of the latest play that I was slated to produce and direct)

Dear beloved BT’ers,

This is very difficult for me to write and I was hoping it would not come to this, but I find myself in the unfortunate position of informing you that our spring production of Beyond Therapy is being postponed.

Please believe me when I say that I have done all that I can to avoid this sad situation. I was really looking forward to working with each and every one of you and I greatly appreciate all of the time, effort, and energy that you have already put into this show.

You see, through a series of unfortunate events and scheduling conflicts, we no longer have the necessary cast members to pull off the brilliant performance I had planned. Let me explain: I was lucky enough to have cast six actors who I thought would be perfect for this show. Perfect! Then one actor discovered that their work would have them out of town during our performance dates and could therefore not continue with the show. So I made some phone calls and found another competent actor to fill their shoes. Then another actor was to be called out of the country for work and couldn’t commit to the show’s schedule. So I found another suitable replacement. And then yet another actor found himself caught between chronic laryngitis and a difficult work schedule and had to bow out. If you’re keeping score at home, that was now half of the original cast. I searched high and low for one more actor to help fill the void, but the right person for the part just wasn’t available. This, combined with a ticking clock and the very difficult schedules of three of the surviving actors, meant that I was no longer in a position to produce the play that I had envisioned. And rather than put up a show that I was not confident in and whose quality could not be assured, I have made the executive decision of postponing this production. When and if this project will be revived is still yet to be seen. I am very sorry.

I must stress the fact that this decision is by no means the “fault” of any one person. This is a very complicated situation with many variables and I have called upon my extensive mathematical skills to formulate every possible alternative. I honestly blame no one. On the contrary, I thank you all for your desire to participate in one of my many dreams. I hope to hear from all of you when this phoenix rises again.

Much love,
Joshua