Hello Beautiful People,
The 68th Tony Awards were this evening.
And all at once, I remember the bits and pieces of my life that have gotten me to this point.
The first time I stepped into the St. James Theatre, when I was five years old, to watch Daisy Eagan and Mandy Patinkin and Rebecca Luker and Robert Westenberg and Alison Fraser create absolute magic in The Secret Garden.
And I think of walking across the stage of Radio City, with my fellow violets, as we received our Master’s Degree from NYU. Something I don’t think I could ever forget.
And then I think of the bits and pieces of my artistic life since then. The shows. The auditions. The creation of The Write Teacher(s)…and DUETS…and Lucky Disaster. I think of meeting kindred spirits and souls like Susan Egan. And Mana Allen. And Jennifer Ashley Tepper. And Loni Kennedy. And Joe Iconis. And Ryan Scott Oliver. And Alan Wiggins. And Betsy Struxness. And Lauren Ward. And Bertie Carvel. And Ellyn Marie Marsh. And Bret Shuford. And Rob Rokicki. And Drew Overcash. And Zoe Sarnak. And Natalie Weiss. And Alex Brightman. And F. Michael Haynie. And Andrew Kober. And Allison Case. And Drew Gasparini. And Alex Brightman. And Lauren Pritchard. And Remy Zaken. And Chris Hlinka. And Stephanie Turci. And Melissa Rose Hirsch. And Nic Casaula. And TJ Newton. And Angelo McDonough. And Bobby Cronin. And Andy Kelso. And Benjamin Rauhala. And Will Buck. And Ed Watts. And Ryan Andes. And Anna Ty Bergman. And Melanie Brook. And Eric William Morris. And Jason Sweettooth Williams. And Lauren Marcus. And Lance Rubin. And Ariana DeBose. And Jessica Mortellaro. And Sawyer Avery. And Joe Pallister. And Chloe Dirkson. And Jessica Howard. And Joanna Howard. And Max Quinlan. And Georgia Stitt. And Jesse James Keitel. And Christopher Imbrosciano. And Jacob Samuels. And Mike Rosengarten. And Shakina Nayfack.
And, if I think about it, there’s really too many people to name.
Like, way, way, way too many people to name.
For each and every person I’ve met on this artistic journey of mine, has shaped me in some way. They have given me new perspective. New advice. A renewed sense of purpose. Of focus. They have supported my ideas, my vision, and my projects, and helped make those come alive on stages across the state. They have shared their stories. They have inspired me to do better. To be better.
Cause here’s the thing about arts. Here’s the thing about theater. And Broadway. And live theater.
It takes a village to put on a show. It takes blood and sweat and tears. It takes a whole bunch of heart. And compassion. And sacrifice. It takes long hours of work till your eyes want to fall out of your head and your feet hurt and you can’t stand and you’re saying lines and singing lyrics in your sleep.
It takes a lot.
And sometimes, well, sometimes you put yourself out there on that sacrificial platter of judgement, (because, let’s be honest, the second you step out onto a stage there is judgement), and you get ripped to shreds. Sometimes the beauty of work that has become your baby is not met with warmth and open arms. Sometimes it is snubbed. And shunned. And kicked aside like an old shoe.
And that’s the beauty of the Broadway Community, cause that’s when the shoulders of support come out in full force.
Sure, the brothers and sisters in this community that you have come to know and love are there to celebrate you when you succeed, but they are also there to catch you when you fall…
Because, in the words of the charming and talented Lena Hall, “Friendship is magic.”
Now I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about my favorite moments of the Tony’s this year.
I’m going to do this chronologically –
Lena Hall. A gem. A brilliant actress. And an absolutely wonderful speech. Friendship IS magic.
Audra “GODRA” McDonald. I think she might be the epitome of class and grace. Of what it means to be humble. Of what it means to be the eternal artist, for it is evident from her body of work that she never stops working, growing, and learning.
Neil Patrick Harris. His performance as Hedwig was unbelievable, but his speech touched my heart quite a bit, for it was a beautiful thing to see the teachers of his past acknowledged. A beautiful thing indeed.
Speaking of Beautiful, I have no idea how to eloquently express what it was like to see Carole King and Jessie Mueller sing. And to see one of the greatest people I know, Alan Wiggins, right up there with them. Epic goodness is the only thing that comes to mind, and even that does not do their work justice. Bravo to you all.
Perhaps one of the greatest things about the whole evening for me was the announcement of the Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre Education, a new award which will be presented next year, and honor kindergarten through high school (K-12) theatre educators.
It has become my mission in life to make sure that my father gets this award. A theater educator who started a state of the art theater program in Eastport South Manor High School. A man who taught theater for thirty-two years in the public school. A man who’s changed more students lives via theater than I could possibly count. And yes, many of them work on Broadway or in the business now, but there’s just as many who don’t, and still claim that he was their greatest teacher. That his teachings were their greatest lessons.
Because that’s the thing about the arts and arts education. They inspire. They heal. The ignite the dormant fire of souls. They transform lives.
Nominations open in September 2014. Visit www.tonyawards.com or www.cmu.edu for more info, and watch out for our next post on the nomination process!
Congrats to the nominees, the winners, and the makers of magic on The Great White Way.
Here’s to many more beautiful seasons!
Live, Love, Learn,