The Empty Stage: Rants on Life, the Future, and where the hell I’ve been.

‘Tis a sad day when one unforgettable experience ends. The stage is empty, the dressing rooms deserted.

I have been so fortunate to have been involved in a wonderful play written by four local girls and performed by local teenagers. It took three hectic weeks of 4-hour rehearsals six days a week, but we pulled it together.

Art is a wonderful thing. Creating art is the most wonderful experience that one can have, and whether it’s music, writing, painting, sculpting, or acting, there is a power behind it that draws us back to it.

So much has changed for me in the past few days. My entire hopes and dreams for the future have changed. I knew before that I wanted to go into theatre, but I was Hell-bent on musical theatre. I had dreams of my name in lights, of sold-out shows, of Broadway. Now I am not so sure. As an artist, it is not about having your art recognized so much as it is creating it.

My director told me something a few days ago that really began to change my mind about whether I wanted to restrict myself to a degree in musical theatre. One going for a degree in musical, rather than straight, theatre, receives a very specialized training, and many cannot make the transition from musicals to straight plays. Maybe I will be one of those who can, but I would rather not limit myself – I could be just as happy, perhaps even happier, in a small professional theatre like the one in my hometown rather than a large one on Broadway.

Today the costume designer told me she could imagine me doing Shakespeare. This is something I have never even considered, as it always seemed like it would be more difficult to memorize; then again, don’t knock it ‘till you try it. I realized then that as an actor trained in straight theatre you are much more versatile, especially if you can sing, as I can.

I still plan to audition for Musical Theatre programs, but I do not think that I will audition for ten, as I had previously planned – I think it would be a better idea to do three or four, and three or four straight theatre programs, and let destiny decide.

My experience doing this play has been so eye-opening and inspiring. I have been pushed into the (however shallow) pool of professional theatre, and I loved every minute of it! I feel so blessed to have worked with the people I have worked with, especially my director, who wrote me a lovely note that made me cry for the closing performance.

If you read this far, I thank you. If you didn’t, that’s okay too. My heart just feels full to bursting with these new discoveries, and I can’t help but think that destiny wanted me to do this show to put me on the right path (whether you believe in destiny or not, you cannot deny that there are crossroads in life and that the path that we choose may not be the best one for us.)

Now, I’d like to assure you that in the next few days, things will return to some sense of normalcy around here. Thank you for sticking with me through the thick and thin!