Theater epiphanies and Adventures with Tommy Wiseau by Sarah Nagel 4/16/23

As a runner, a walker, a hiker, and a skipper, I enjoy connecting dots and making connections of all things to running things. No matter the space I find myself in or the person I’m chatting with, it seems to always come back to being a runner and how every interaction or experience I have can instill in me a lesson that will ultimately make me a better one.

 This was my mindset on a stormy Friday night at Cinema 21 in NW Portland where I was lucky enough to attend a showing of the beautifully crafted, “The Room”, with Tommy Wiseau in attendance. With a pair of Tommy Wiseau boxer briefs squeezed on over my pants as a means of showing my immense appreciation for the neurotic Tommy in all of his glory during a well anticipated photo op, I found myself standing next to a giant plastic box with Tommy inside.

 Not sure whether I should simply stand and smile, awkwardly wrap my arm around said plastic box, or get a little saucy and wrap a leg around it as well, I took that moment to really focus on what was happening. Here was this man- this legend- who was still rockin’ it; who was still celebrating a vision and the product of his creativity decades after it was realized. With his Danzig-esque long black hair, dark sunglasses, and a studded belt fastened below his butt, he was spending time celebrating what made him happy.

 Now, we all can debate the merits or absurdity of “The Room” and the mysterious Tommy Wiseau until we’re all out of breath but I’d suggest taking a deeper look- to “peel the onion” as it were- and realize that what it comes down to is the celebration of one’s life and one’s accomplishments, no matter what they look like to others; to simply not care how others think because in that plastic box, Tommy didn’t give a hoot. He was simply celebrating his life and darn it, if that wasn’t an extremely amazing sight to behold and reminder that we should all be so lucky to love life in that way.

So, here I am, coming full circle, connecting that night back to running, as a reminder to myself to keep celebrating running however it looks in my life: on the trails, down the street, or at a heart palpitating sprint to catch a flight; whether it’s incorporating hiking or walking, or even a bit of skipping, I’ll think of Tommy and keep celebrating that which brings me joy: older men with long black hair? Possibly… but also running.