He was dead within seconds, right on schedule. I breathed in the acrid scent of gunpowder and smiled from my darkened vantage point. The sounds of chaos erupted from the shadows and as the lights came up all attention became focused on the crumpled figure at center stage. It was just as I’d planned it, months ago. Shifting in my seat, I sat back and drank in the mayhem I’d created.

I didn’t set out to do this. Last November I was enjoying my morning coffee, unwinding after the production of the fall play. The days following a major show are always bittersweet. As a family, we are all ready for a break, yet sad to see the camaraderie and hard work come to an end.

On this particular day I was struck with a vision of an opening scene. Darkness…  chaos…a thump…a gunshot. Lights coming up upon a scene…