New Experience

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Christmas Carol Wrap Up

Hello All,

I seem to be late at updating these posts! Opps my bad! Well Christmas Carol wrapped up recently - last weekend - and I am happy to say that another chapter has been closed.

This post will not only be about Christmas Carol, but also about our life path. If you don't see a correlation right now, you will in a minute.

Christmas Carol was a very stressful experience as being the ASM, however it was a very rewarding experience. From running auditions to trying to lead people to scene shifts. It is crazy how much wen ton during rehearsals and show.

You have seen the pictures of the set and how beautiful it was. After strike we killed that set. It was all in a pile of wood and trash. It was then it got me thinking about life experiences and what dreams I have and what I expected college experience to be.

Early tonight I watched Conan O'Brien commencement speech in 2011. He made a really good point about what your dreams are now at 22 will not be the dreams you have at 32, 42 and so on. He stated that his most rewarding moment in his life was in 2010 when he began to "try things." He did things that were unconventional.

When he stated that most of you had a thought how your 4 years at college would be, and well they did not end up being that way at all. Going back to my first steps at Lindenwood and thinking "What the hell am I getting myself into?" The first swim practice, the first company meeting, and I had this idea that the next 4 years would be and behold they were not. I would not have guessed that I would have ever gotten involved with Stage Management (THANK YOU STACEY), or being apart of Monkey Tales Theatre, or even getting involved in dance. The last 4 years have been very rewarding, because I have let things happen.

When Conan stated about 2010 being his most rewarding year because he was being unconventional, it got me thinking about my future. I remember my first ever dream when entering the arts was to be on Broadway. This has changed so much. My dream is now to work for a theatre or dance company that deals with site specific works. This keeps evolving because I let the doors stay open. This will change again as long as we let it.

Christmas Carol was another one of the moments that veered off the path to my dream, but it was EXTREMELY challenging but one of the most rewarding pages in my life. I got to do something that I never thought I would get to do, or wanted to do. I got closer to so many people that I will remember their impact they had on me for years to come. I came closer to Stacey as a mentor then I have with other professors to date.

What will the next 5 years bring me, I have no clue. To the people that keep asking me what am I going to do after graduation, well here is your answer: I am going to let life happen and take ever opportunity (weather be new, challenge, unconventional, or of the path) to just do. I have a goal, but it is a guideline and not a set in stone.

To the graduates this semester, best of luck and let life happen. Enjoy every moment and don't be set on a certain path, let the path form as you go.

In closing I want to bring back to Christmas Carol, yet again. I could not thank you all enough for helping me and challenging me in ways that I would not have thought of.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and see you all in 2014! What will happen, no ones knows!

Daniel

Here is Conan's speech, I HIGHLY recommend you to watch it!


Let life happen, be unconventional, be spontaneous, and just do.

2 comments:

the mother ship said...

;) Well since I don't see the comment I shall try again.

Here's to an awesome 2014 for us all!!!!!

Unknown said...

I am excited for 2014!!!