"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." – William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar.

Given her background as a professional theater artist, Brenda Sparks has long known the value—and the surprises—inherent in improvisation. As the co-creator of the blog SouthCheatham.com (After the Flood), she’s been able to explore untapped aspects of her creative nature while providing a tangible asset for the community.

"It’s been a baptism by fire," says Sparks, who set up the blog about a week following the flooding. "I just happened to be between gigs and had the time and the opportunity to plug into the tremendous grassroots movement here."

As an actress and director—as one, in short, always ready for a new role and a new challenge—Sparks plunged right in, so to speak. SouthCheatham.com was established to facilitate communication between the various volunteer hubs in Kingston Springs, separated as they were "like little islands" by the waters.

"The initial idea was to get vital information out and to communicate needs," she says. "Then we used the site to help stock the relief center at Harpeth Middle School." Sparks sent out daily morning and afternoon updates on items needed, as well as calls for volunteers.

Over the first hectic month of its existence the site had over ten thousand views, and Sparks sees it evolving to serve several purposes henceforth. First and foremost is the mission to provide accurate and attributed material—as opposed to rumor and hearsay—to the community. "We’re trying to apply rigorous journalistic standards," she says.

Beyond that, the site will shine a light on areas still in need of help, while allowing people to share pictures and uplifting stories transpiring in the wake of the disaster. As such, "After the Flood" could be subtitled "Love’s Labours Illuminated," a riff on Love’s Labour’s Lost, in which Sparks will appear during this summer’s Nashville Shakespeare Festival production of the play. (It’s her 14th year with the NSF.)

Sparks has lived in Kingston Springs for 12 years; she and husband Mikael Byrd (Sparks is her maiden name) have a daughter, Mary, a student at Kingston Springs Elementary. She (Sparks) has been amazed at how their circle of friends has expanded beyond the artists and professional people they’ve known—at what a transforming experience the disaster has been.

"In helping out, people have been funneled into doing things they’d never imagined they’d ever do," she says. In the theater, it’s called improvisation.

"It’s like the floodwaters lifted us all right up out of our everyday lives, and showed us what we’re capable of."