Every time I come to New York, I leave thinking that there is no way a trip could be as wonderful as this. And each time I return, I find myself mistaken. I love the energy and pulse of this city. I love the feeling that I get as I see new shows, whether they blow me away like Come From Away and The Play that Goes Wrong, scare me like Sweeney Todd, make me smile like SpongeBob, or make me think like Once On This Island.
Being an attendee and now presenter at BroadwayCon, I find myself very grateful for the opportunity over the last three years to find a space where people like me can find each other, and learn that there are fans all over the place, and we are not alone in our connection to the music and the stories we have found that speaks to our hearts.
Watching Once on This Island as my last show before returning to Utah helped me to remember that the love of theatre is only a small but important part of my life. Seeing the costume design choices, looking at the set that resembled an island recovering from the effects of the hurricane, and knowing that I work in a place that sends aid to places like this was very thought provoking for me. From far away we try and do the best we can to help, but are we doing enough? Am I ever doing enough?
One of the panels I attended at BroadwayCon was called actors and activism, and a question posed was how do we figure out how to help when there is so much we want to work on? How can we accomplish anything when it all feels so complicated.
The answer that was given was profound and simple. Pick something. Figure out where your talents are best suited, and then work on that. None of us can save the world. All of us can help someone else. I cannot fix every problem, but I can lift someone up where I am. I can make someone's day brighter. I can help someone feel loved and included.
I hope that I can leave NYC and practice some of the things that I learned. Because I spent time bragging about the theatrical community in Utah, I hope that I can do my part to introduce more people to that world. I hope to get more friends to attend theatre with me. I hope to encourage more people to learn about opportunities in the arts that Utah provides. I hope to choose to review shows that stretch my writing and my tastes. I hope to be a better critic, and more important, a better supporter of the arts.
Thank you, BroadwayCon, for existing and giving us all the space we needed. Thank you for helping young kids know they are not alone. Thank you for helping us middle aged "kids" remember why we love this world so much. See you next year!
Being an attendee and now presenter at BroadwayCon, I find myself very grateful for the opportunity over the last three years to find a space where people like me can find each other, and learn that there are fans all over the place, and we are not alone in our connection to the music and the stories we have found that speaks to our hearts.
Watching Once on This Island as my last show before returning to Utah helped me to remember that the love of theatre is only a small but important part of my life. Seeing the costume design choices, looking at the set that resembled an island recovering from the effects of the hurricane, and knowing that I work in a place that sends aid to places like this was very thought provoking for me. From far away we try and do the best we can to help, but are we doing enough? Am I ever doing enough?
One of the panels I attended at BroadwayCon was called actors and activism, and a question posed was how do we figure out how to help when there is so much we want to work on? How can we accomplish anything when it all feels so complicated.
The answer that was given was profound and simple. Pick something. Figure out where your talents are best suited, and then work on that. None of us can save the world. All of us can help someone else. I cannot fix every problem, but I can lift someone up where I am. I can make someone's day brighter. I can help someone feel loved and included.
I hope that I can leave NYC and practice some of the things that I learned. Because I spent time bragging about the theatrical community in Utah, I hope that I can do my part to introduce more people to that world. I hope to get more friends to attend theatre with me. I hope to encourage more people to learn about opportunities in the arts that Utah provides. I hope to choose to review shows that stretch my writing and my tastes. I hope to be a better critic, and more important, a better supporter of the arts.
Thank you, BroadwayCon, for existing and giving us all the space we needed. Thank you for helping young kids know they are not alone. Thank you for helping us middle aged "kids" remember why we love this world so much. See you next year!
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