At age 15, I was introduced to the program through my dance teacher who thought it would be a great opportunity for me. It started with the audition. I muddled through, hoping for a decent part. This musical, in my mind, wasn’t going to be a fun summer experience, nor would I use it to advance my voice or my skill; to me it was simply another part in another show. This isn’t a coming of age story, but I grew. I grew through the people I met and through an amazing experience.
When rehearsals began, I was surrounded by strangers. We greeted each other, and initially spent hours drowning in awkward conversation. That is, until we began to demonstrate our talents. Each actor, ranging in age from 6 to 18, graced the stage with individual style and approach. And that’s how I began to share a part of myself with these people that I previously hadn’t known was there. I began to create friendships that were unlike anything I’d ever felt. They opened a door to a new world—a world full of faith and bursting at the seams with selfless love. I felt a new support.
Through hour long practices and even more time spent together outside of rehearsal, I felt a slow change in myself. I looked up to these people because of the purity in the way they lived their lives. They treated people with respect, not just their friends. They accepted people, included people, and loved people. By their mere example I grew towards a strong maturity in myself. At the final show, I sat on the stage hand in hand with some of my strongest friends. Not only did they teach me that there was more to me than me, but they helped me grow up and see the world in a completely different way.
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