Emily's Story, Spring 2024

Today, I wanted to share a story about a time that I took a risk. So back in high school, I was a really big theater kid, or “thespian”, as we call it. At the end of my junior year, I was promoted from the Chair of Lighting to being the President of my theater troupe. This was my first experience with such a responsibility.

As if the pressure wasn't on already, our troops' teaching director, Darren, reached out to me to ask if I would do the honor of co-directing States with him. States refers to the one-act play that we put on for the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild State Competition – the most important show we did all year. The show we performed junior year made it to the final round held in Boston. Overwhelmed, I told Darren I needed a little time to think about it. I wasn't sure I was ready to give up acting in the stage show my senior year. So I mulled it over with my friends and family for a couple of days until I ultimately agreed to his proposal.

Throughout the summer, Darren and I contemplated many scripts, but nothing was biting. One day, Darren suggested that we start from scratch, and finally, something felt right. Over the next month, he and I looked for stories that we wanted to tell. After weeks of deliberation, we found an artist whose voice we felt aligned with ours: Pulitzer Prize cartoonist Jules Pfeiffer. I spent the rest of my summer storyboarding his comics and other previous entries into a cohesive chronicle of vignettes. Our final product consisted of a silly, yet all-too-real vignette of individuals, young and old, navigating finding connection, love, and empathy in a world plagued by the overuse of technology, polarizing politics, and overall contempt towards those we deem different.

Once senior year had begun, it was go time. The preliminary round of the competition didn't start until March, but we held auditions for what was now known as “See Me, Hear Me, Hold Me” at the end of September. I will not lie, senior year was tough. I was juggling my role as President and Director, applying to colleges, navigating changing friendships and relationships, and working two jobs. I was struggling to find a sustainable way to implement my role of Director over my closest friends. I had never had to command my friends around in such a way before. I don't know if you've ever had to tell twenty of your closest friends to “shut the hell up” and listen to you, but it sucks.

Watching my beautifully talented friends bring my work to life while adding their own flares was just amazing. We lived and breathed “See Me, Hear Me, Hold Me”. And a special part of this whole journey was the fact that Darren really let me take the reins in terms of creativity. This allowed me to express all the little details I wanted to implement.

Once March rolled around, the pressure was truly on. Our dress rehearsals were rocky, and I was in a bit of a panic. I hoped and prayed that the energy of the crowd on show day would help us bring it all together. Finally, the Saturday of prelims was here. My school was hosting a myriad of local troops for a whole day, jam-packed with student theater. I never had to multitask harder in my life. Our show was the last on the docket, which was good luck. My heart fluttered as I signalled for the houselights to dim, and with my eyes closed, declared “go” into my headset.

I don't know how else to say it, but the show was a hit. The crowd was so lively, every joke was nailed, every dance was perfect, and the ending sequence garnered tears. I had honestly never felt such a mix of relief and pride in my life. I was proud of myself, of course, but I was, more importantly, especially proud of my casting crew, my friends. As it turns out, “See Me, Hear Me, Hold Me” was a smash hit amongst the judges, as well. Not only did the show win first place in the round, but the METG judges curated a separate individual award just for me for “Excellence in Student Direction”. My ten months of hard work was finally paying off, and now we had the opportunity to share our show with our community once more.

The semi-final round was scheduled for March 14th, 2020. I'm guessing you can probably imagine where this is going. About a week before our show was to go on, the METG announced that the state competition was to be cancelled due to the budding COVID pandemic. My heart was broken. I still mourn the loss of “See Me, Hear Me, Hold Me”. It truly felt like my world had crumbled beneath me.

I do think that this loss and my anger towards this moment in my life was a huge influence as to why I study public health today. I am forever thankful for my time in theater. It absolutely shaped me into the woman I am today. I'm also forever grateful for my friends, my troop, and my teacher, Darren. They are living reminders of the capabilities I possess and remind me that with the right community, it is okay to take risks.