Study abroad was something that I always dreamed of doing, and a major reason why I chose to attend Michigan State University. Michigan State’s education abroad program is one of the top ranked nationally, and somewhere within one of the hundreds of options.
View over Corse
There are many facts that contribute to that choice that may contribute to what program you choose. For me, it was important that I addressed a few requirements within both of my majors. My primary major is Arts and Humanities here through RCAH, and throughout my research and planning process I had to make sure that my chosen program was approved to count for the experiential learning opportunity and language proficiency requirements. It was also a huge plus for me to be on a program that could engage my other major: Public Relations.
An evening at the Colosseum
The act of searching for programs is fairly straightforward with Michigan State’s Education Abroad portal, and it wasn’t long before I found my program: Advertising and Public Relations a la Mediterranean.
Fontana del Tritone
Advertising and Public Relations a la Mediterranean is a program run through the Advertising + Public Relations (AD+PR) in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Most of the program takes place in Rome, Italy- in which you take classes taught by MSU AD+PR department professors at the American University of Rome in Rome, Italy. Most of the courses offered focus on international communications strategy, but there are also additional options to take Italian language or culture classes.
The other portion of the program takes place in Cannes, France where participants have the opportunity to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: a global event for creative communications professionals with a plethora of events and awards by some of the top professionals in the industry.
The Pantheon
Being able to attend this study abroad is a dream come true, and something I couldnt do without the support of my family here and RCAH and CommArts. I’m excited to share this journey all with you here!
It’s been over a year since my last blog post, and it’s safe to say that my life, as well as the lives of everyone, has changed drastically since then. The world we once knew was utterly upended with the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020. It has proven to be an insurmountable loss of lives, as well as an economic toll on so many people. One of the industries most affected by COVID-19 was the theatre industry and the over 100,000 people it employs in the US. It was heartbreaking to watch the art form I cherish and one that I know would bring immense joy to people, especially in these dark times, have no option but to shut down.
To be honest, for much of 2020 I couldn’t bring myself to think about theatre too often. The same Broadway cast albums that used to brighten my day only further reminded me of how abnormal the world is. However, I entered my senior year at Michigan State back in August, and the fall 2020 semester proved to be life changing for me and reignited my love of theatre. I happened to take a dramaturgy course taught by Dr. Laura MacDonald, and it was then that I realized dramaturgy was the profession within theatre I’d been searching for. In case you don’t know what dramaturgy is (I didn’t know until a few months ago), a dramaturg is someone who works alongside a playwright to provide feedback and historical context to a show during the creation process. I realized this art form allowed me to combine my passion for writing, knowledge of theatre, and enjoyment of collaborating with others into one. During this course, I also got the hands-on experience of working as a dramaturg and collaborating with a musical theatre composer from Australia. This experience affirmed dramaturgy is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. This is also the time when I commenced my grad school application process—one I had decided long ago would involve my continuation of studying theatre post-undergrad.
Saying goodbye to Snyder Hall & RCAH–the place I’ve considered home for the last 4 years…
In retrospect, applying to six graduate programs while also balancing the academics of senior year, three jobs, and the universal languish of living through a global pandemic, proved to be much more challenging than expected. It tested my time management skills, as well as my ability to believe that everything that’s meant to happen will come to fruition. After months of filling out applications, interviews, and difficult decisions, I’m thrilled to share that next fall I will begin graduate school at Columbia University’s Theatre MFA program in the Dramaturgy concentration.
Writing this feels surreal because Columbia’s Theatre MFA was my dream, and to be honest, when I submitted my application for the program, I never expected to hear back. But in February I was offered one of only six spots, and that moment affirmed to me that I need to be confident in my skills and proud of the hard work I’ve put in to get to this moment. This experience has also allowed me a lot of time for reflection on how I got to this position. It has truly taken a village of people to help me get here. It began back in elementary school when I acted in my first play and grew up being mentored by so many people involved in Lansing’s theatre community. Fast forward to my time at Michigan State when I was hired by Wharton Center to work as a marketing intern for their Broadway shows. It was furthered even more when RCAH, my residential college, gave me the space and the opportunity to write about my passion for theatre on their website. (I even submitted several of my blog posts to Columbia and got to talk about them during my interview with the program.) And of course, the support of my parents has been insurmountable through it all. So, if you’ve read any of my previous “Curtain Call with Cami” posts, I wanted to conclude my journey with this: the same little girl who was so painfully shy she refused to speak at her first theatre audition will now be studying theatre at Columbia University in her dream city, New York City. I hope this shows that passion, personal initiative, hard work, and the encouragement of many mentors can go a long way.
…and saying hello to Columbia University & NYC!
If you keep up with Broadway at all, you probably know that a lot of injustices in the industry have come to light recently (namely, the abusive work practices of Broadway producer Scott Rudin). It has not been unknown to myself and many others that the inequities in the theatre industry run deep, but it is my most fervent desire to dedicate my career in the industry to making it inclusive and accessible for all. I believe that diverse voices should be present onstage and behind the scenes. The same reason I am ready to work for this is precisely the same reason I love theatre in the first place: I recognize that it is a special art form that, when utilized correctly, is capable of creating real social change. But I also recognize it cannot do so when it continues to bar women, people of color, and other marginalized groups from holding positions of power. I hope that when I retire from a career in this industry, I can be proud of how I’ve contributed to the ongoing efforts of so many other artists demanding justice, and that a positive change in the industry will be palpable. But for now, this is my finale… hopefully you’ll read about my encore inside the Playbill of a Broadway show one day.
I had a fantastic spring break leading 12 MSU students to New York City for a theatre marketing retreat through the Wharton Center Marketing Student Organization (WCSMO). This was my 3rd time on the trip and my 2nd year co-leading the group. Being WCSMO’s Professional Development Chair, it was my responsibility to organize panels for our group to meet with in the city. This year, our group got to meet with professionals from Disney Theatrical, The Public Theater, Situation Interactive and Jack Meyer (an MSU alum!), Vice President at the Nederlander Organization.
In addition to our panels, we had lots of free time to explore the city. I had a lot of fun taking photos with my friends in Central Park, consuming lots of delicious cuisine, and of course, seeing Broadway shows. On this trip, I got the chance to see five shows, and I couldn’t help but notice that my three favorite (new) shows all happened to be directed by women (a rare feat on Broadway, where women make up only 17% of creative team positions). Here are my thoughts on these favorite shows, and since it’s National Women’s History Month, why I believe women deserve to be represented on Broadway’s creative teams:
Jagged Little Pill
This is a new, cutting-edge jukebox musical featuring songs from Alanis Morrisette’s 1995 album, Jagged Little Pill. Admittedly, I have never been a fan of jukebox musicals because I prefer original scores, but this is the absolute best jukebox musical I’ve seen. It covers so many relevant social issues, including sexuality, addiction, sexual assault, and racial identity. The character that stuck with me most was Mary Jane (MJ) Healy, played by Elizabeth Stanley. MJ falls in the same category of deeply complex, complicated mother figures alongside Heidi Hansen from Dear Evan Hansen and Diana Goodman from Next to Normal. These emotionally rich roles for middle-aged women are difficult to find, but they are an actress’s dream. With direction by Diane Paulus, (one of my favorite female directors), this musical beautifully demonstrated that everyone is fighting their own battle and that you can never guess what someone is going through internally just by looking at them.
Our entire group saw Jagged Little Pill together.
My friend Ellie (left) & I at Jagged Little Pill.
Six
Out of all the shows I saw, this one was my favorite. Not only is it written and directed by 26-year-old Lucy Moss (the youngest female director in Broadway history), it also features an entirely female cast and band. This musical tells the story of King Henry VIII’s six wives through a pop/rock score. I love it because it is reclaiming history in a similar way as Hamilton, and the queens remind the audience that the only reason anyone remembers King Henry VIII is not because of his policies or anything he accomplished, it’s because of those six women. I haven’t been able to stop listening to cast album since I saw it, and Six is quite possibly the most female-empowering show I’ve ever seen.
Six’s Broadway Theater
I always have to take a Playbill picture.
Company
Lastly, I got to attend the first preview of the Broadway revival of Company. In case you’re not familiar with the show, it was one of Stephen Sondheim’s earliest musicals, and it premiered on Broadway in 1970. This revival is unique in that many of the characters are gender-bent, including the show’s protagonist, Bobby, who has always historically been played by a male but is now being played by Katrina Lenk. I really love that the show’s director, Marianne Elliot, took the liberty of casting Bobby as a woman because it allows you to look at the show’s plot and Bobby’s relationships with others in a different way. I wish more shows would gender-bend their casting because in many cases, gender is not central to the show’s plot. By attending the first preview, I also got the chance to watch Marianne Elliot’s pre-show speech and I happened to be sitting only five rows in front of the legend himself, Stephen Sondheim. Plus, I got to see one of Broadway’s most-beloved queens, Patti LuPone, onstage for the first time and meet her at the stage door. It was a very special night all-around.
Company gave out balloons for their first preview.
Patti LuPone started crying when she saw all the support from fans at the stage door… which in turn made me cry.
In the 2019-2020 Broadway season, there were 37 new shows and only four had female directors. That’s why I’m thankful that this season I’ve already gotten to see three women-led and women-created shows. The topic of women’s representation on Broadway’s creative teams has been close to my heart for a while now and is something I am passionate about advocating for. Women are barred from leadership positions for a variety of factors, but part of it comes down to the belief that women are too emotional to hold leadership positions. While I don’t think this is at all accurate, isn’t Broadway one of the few environments where emotions are actually encouraged? I fully believe that in order to see truthful, realistic portrayals of women onstage, these characters need to be created by women. Each of the shows mentioned demonstrates this perfectly, and I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed these shows or been able to relate to the characters nearly as much if they weren’t created by women. I’m hoping that the success of these shows will mean that more than one woman will be nominated for Best Director at the Tonys this year (something that hasn’t happened in eight years), and that more women will continue to be hired for Broadway’s creative teams in the future.
Yep, it’s true—2019 is almost over and I can’t believe it. As always, this year has flown by. I have recently seen theatre critics releasing articles about their favorite shows of 2019, and I decided I wanted to do the same thing, but with a twist. I didn’t feel as if simply showcasing my favorite shows would be conclusive enough of 2019. This year, I got to visit New York City three times, see dozens of shows on Broadway and off, and I started my first job in the theatre industry. This list includes my favorite theatre moments (shows, experiences, events, and encounters) of 2019.
Attending the Tony Awards And Seeing History Be Made
If you’ve been reading my blog since this summer, you already know that I attended the Tony Awards, but I couldn’t sum up my favorite 2019 theatre moments and not mention it. The Tony Awards are always my favorite day of the year, but this year I was fortunate enough to attend them in person for the first time. It was surreal. I got to get dressed up, go to Radio City Music Hall, and be surrounded by the best of Broadway’s performers and creatives. There, Hadestown made history by being the first musical with an all-female creative team to win Best Musical, and Ali Stroker made history as the first actress in a wheelchair to win a Tony. It felt like I was living in a dream, but it’s a moment that I will remember and cherish forever.
Attending the Tony Awards
Meeting Lin-Manuel Miranda
If you’ve known me for a while, you would know that Lin-Manuel Miranda has been my theatre god for the past four years. He transformed theatre forever by creating Hamilton, and since then he has used his success to make the arts accessible to all people (i.e. bringing Hamilton to Puerto Rico and raising $2 million for arts programs there). He is a legend and a true gift to our world.
In November, I was attending Little Shop of Horrors Off-Broadway with my mom, and at intermission, we overheard someone say that Lin was in the lobby. We bolted out of our chairs and rushed to meet him. I can happily report that he is as great in person as I had hoped. I got the chance to thank him for his contributions to the arts, and despite the fact that I’m sure he gets bombarded by fans every day, he was so gracious. Meeting him was a moment I’ve dreamed of for years. I believe our world is unworthy of someone as good as him.
Sadly I didn’t get a picture with Lin—but he took this photo with Jonathan Groff the day I met him
Seeing In the Heights And Meeting Its Movie’s Stars
Before there was Hamilton, there was In the Heights—Lin-Manuel Miranda’s (no, I will never stop talking about him) first Broadway show. During 2019, In the Heights was one of my most listened-to cast albums, and its score has become one of my all-time favorites. In June, my mom and I located where they were filming the movie version in Inwood, New York, and we got to meet the movie’s stars and director and watch some of their filming.
In July, I saw that a professional theatre in Saugatuck was putting on a production of it, and my mom and I knew that we had to go. It was amazing to finally see Lin’s music come to life on stage. I should also note that I ended up being extremely sick on the day I saw In the Heights (seriously, I probably should have gone to the ER because I couldn’t breathe) but the show was so absorbing that I refused to leave. That’s how you know it’s an amazing show.
Meeting Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera, the stars of In the Heights
I Stopped Overlooking Off-Broadway Shows
For years now, my life has been completely devoted to researching and seeing Broadway shows. I did, and still do, consider Broadway to be one of the best things that exists in the world. However, 2019 was the year that I realized other great NYC theatre exists—particularly Off-Broadway. Officially, Off-Broadway means that it’s a show taking place in New York City theater with 99-499 seats (Broadway is 500+). In 2019, I attended some amazing Off-Broadway shows (including Little Shop of Horrors, The Wrong Man, The Secret Life of Bees) that rivaled the Broadway shows I saw. I’ve found that Off-Broadway as just as good as, if not better than, Broadway. Often times, Off-Broadway shows feature Broadway actors, but in smaller and more intimate spaces. In 2020, my goal is to give more Off-Broadway and even more remote theatre a try. Just because it’s not Broadway doesn’t mean that it can’t still be life-changing.
Seeing Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway
Discovering a New Musical That Made Me Feel Seen
I was lucky enough to see Be More Chill on Broadway twice this year, first in March and then again in June when I brought my mom back with me. The first time I saw it, I was not emotionally prepared for the impact it had on me. I loved its quirky characters and catchy score, but most of all I loved George Salzar’s performance of “Michael in the Bathroom” in the show’s second act. It was a moment where I was completely absorbed by the show and the rest of the world was drowned out. I felt like Michael Mell was speaking directly to me, and it provided some healing that I’ve needed for years now. Be More Chill (unfairly) received many negative reviews, and it closed early, but it will forever remain in my heart and as a favorite on my Broadway playlist. It made me feel validated and heard, and it was the musical that had the most formative impact on my life in 2019.
Seeing Be More Chill.
I Started Working in My Dream Industry
When I entered Michigan State in the fall of 2017, I expected I would graduate in five years as an elementary education major. Although I think I would have been fine in this career, my life’s passion of theatre could not be denied. At the end of freshman year, I dropped my education major and have since been avidly working towards my goal of working in professional side of the theatre industry after college. In January, I was hired to be Wharton Center’s Marketing and Communications Intern for their Broadway series. Since then, I have been working with Wharton Center’s marketing department on every Broadway show. I’ve already learned so much, and it makes me confident that when I graduate in a year and a half, I will be fully prepared to enter the professional theatre industry. It’s been amazing to put my Broadway knowledge to use and to learn how to market to a specific community. Above all, I love that my job allows me to share the thing I love most, theatre, with others.
Interviewing Julie Jordan of Come From Away—an opportunity I got from working at Wharton Center
2019 has undoubtedly been one of the best years of my life thus far—both personally and professionally. My knowledge and experience of the theatre is blossoming every day, and I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had this year. 2019 is going to be a tough year to beat, but I’m optimistic that 2020 is going to hold even more amazing theatrical opportunities.
This month I will officially be a junior in
college. It feels like I just moved into my freshman dorm room in Snyder Hall,
but in reality, that was two years ago. When I first entered MSU, it was one of
the most difficult adjustment periods of my life. As an introvert, I think that
only made the transition more difficult, but that beginning college comes with
unexpected challenges for everyone who experiences it. It’s not all challenging—college
has brought me some of my best memories, greatest experiences, and closest
friends. But even now, I’m still learning to navigate it and the new challenges
that arise every semester. This is what I’ve learned in my first two years:
Moving into my dorm freshman year
You probably won’t meet your best friends right
away
I hoped that I would instantly find people I
would connect with right away, but that didn’t happen. I honestly didn’t make
my first friend until a couple weeks into the school year. This timeline will
look different for everyone—and you may make friends sooner than I did—but it’s
extremely unlikely that you will meet your best friend the first night of
college. To help with this, I would suggest leaving your dorm room door open
and try sitting with new people in the cafeteria, which are two things I wish I
would have done more often.
Student groups make all the difference
MSU is a huge school, and it can often feel like
nobody knows who you are and nobody cares how you’re doing. RCAH is one of the
few colleges that is an exception to this because of its small class sizes
(RCAH is the best), but it’s still easy to feel lonely if you don’t find a
group where you fit in. For me, it wasn’t until joining student groups that I
met people I connected with and truly began to feel happy at MSU. I got
involved with the Wharton Center Student Marketing Organization, MRULE
discussions, and RCAH Ambassadors.
Walking in the homecoming parade with the Wharton Center Student Marketing Organization
Go to your professor’s office hours
You probably hear people tell you this a lot,
but I’m serious. Going to office hours allows your professors to get to know
you and allows for additional learning if you need help in the class. In
addition, you never know what your professors may do to help you if they see
you consistently attending their office hours. This past year I took biology,
and I was struggling. I attended my professor’s office hours repeatedly over
the semester and showed him that I was working hard and wanted to be successful
in the class. When it was time for grades to be submitted, I calculated that I
was only three points short of getting a 4.0 in the class. When I checked my
grades, I was shocked to see I had a 4.0 and realized my professor had given me
the extra points because of the effort he had seen me put in during his office
hours.
Say yes more often
This is something I’ve been working on and still
need to work on. Whether it’s saying yes to trying out a new student group,
attending a campus event, or getting dinner with your friends, try to say yes
more often than not. While it’s obviously important to have a healthy balance
of academics and fun, college is filled with many once-in-a-lifetime
experiences. There are lots of memories waiting to be made, but those can only
happen when you say yes.
Expect for change to happen
As someone who’s type A and loves to have their
entire life planned out, this was one of the hardest pills for me to swallow.
I’ve found that unexpected changes are constantly occurring, whether it be
adjusting to living in a dorm to plans with friends changing to scrapping the
career you’ve planned for your entire life for a different one (these ALL
happened to me). When it comes to college, I would suggest that you “expect the
unexpected,” so that you don’t get stressed out by the changes. Most of the
time, these changes turn out to be good, so just be open to them happening.
The RA staff of Snyder Hall — one of the groups that most helped me find my place at MSU
Although I wish I would have known these things
when I first entered college, I’ve realized there’s a lot you’ll just have to
learn through experience. So far, college has been one of the craziest,
happiest, and most fulfilling periods of my life. I’m hopeful that each year
will just continue to get better and better. If you’re an incoming freshman, I
wish you the best of luck; and maybe I’ll be your RA this year!
This is my last blog post since I begin RA
training this week and from here, it’s an extremely busy two weeks leading up
to the start of the school year. Thank you for reading my blog and for
following along with my passion for theatre and adventures this summer.
The second part of camp in Cimadolmo continued to keep us on our toes—we took an evening trip to the nearby city of Treviso, challenged our campers with various escape rooms, enjoyed a surprise visit from Carl the singing guitar man, took a field trip to Venice, and conducted a second scavenger hunt all in the first three days!
Despite our vast range of activities throughout the week, the kids somehow always found a way to work one line from our popular “City Camp Rocks” song into absolutely every aspect of their days. If someone so much as dropped a pencil, jumped in the air, gave a high five, or did nearly anything else, one or two kids would suddenly exclaim “BOOM! Shake it up, shake it up!” Which, with this song being a call-and-response song by its very campy nature, would require a follow up response from the surrounding kids of another resounding “BOOM! Shake it up, shake it up!”
Wednesday was an adventure within itself—the entire camp took a day-trip to Venice to visit museums, wander the city, and give the children a chance to practice their English in another setting. While the older campers spent the morning amongst the all of the paintings, photographs, sculptures, and other lovely things at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Art, I accompanied the younger groups to the Natural History Museum for a visit with our new friend the largest crocodile in the world and a laboratory where we made castings of trilobites and other cool fossils.
After the museums, we ate lunch on the museum campus and strolled around the city until it was time for us to return home (more often than not with that infamous “shake it up” line or some other camp song serenading the passing tourists). Our journey back to Cimadolmo required not only a train but a school bus as well, since the town does not have its own train station. Both the train and the bus rides to and from our little Venetian adventure kept everyone entertained with lively (and lengthy) renditions of five or six different camp songs and many rounds of Uno (with some children willingly acting as the table for the cards because our transportation did not provide tables).
After one of our classically long camp days, my coworkers and I treated ourselves to an evening out among the tiny, winding canals and cozy streets of Treviso. The time out away with all my coworkers was exactly what we needed to recharge. After a nice stroll as the sun set we took an aperitif in a cozy piazza near the city center and enjoyed the peaceful break from scurrying children and constant theatrical play. As much as I love my work with the kids, the songs, the games, and the busy going of it all, it felt refreshing to have this time to step back from camp and chat together about everything else in our lives aside from camp.
Our final day of camp together was tiring and busy, but lovely just the same. In between practicing the songs, games, plays, and questions that comprise the final show, we took naps, drew more pictures, played new games, and fought off ravenous mosquitoes while enjoying the sunshine outside. Once five oʼclock rolled around, we took a two hour pause at our respective homes before returning in the evening for the show that is our camp farewell. In my room, we had one of the liveliest arrangements of songs and games Iʼve seen at any of my camps (not to mention our wonderfully decorated classroom thanks to the fleet of artists I had the pleasure of tutoring at this camp). It only seemed fitting that we ended our final evening of this immensely artistic and musical camp with a massive dance party to the “Cha Cha Slide” (and we even roped our camp director into joining in on a second round of the song).
I will miss the insane artistic drive of these campers, their enthusiasm, my long evening strolls through nearby vineyards, and post-camp relaxation time with my host sister Vittoria but at the same time I am excited for what my next and final camp has in store for me. Each and every camp this summer has tired me to a new degree but has also led me to make some phenomenal friends, meet wonderful people, try a plethora of new things, continue to see the immense beauty of Italy, and left me feeling full of gratitude.
I will miss my time in Cimadolmo but I look forward to the next adventure ahead of me in the beach town of Marotta! ‘Til then, ciao for now.
This past weekend I saw a community theatre
production of Shrek the Musical, which is a show I’m no stranger to: I
performed in it in high school and have since seen it performed at professional
theaters, colleges, and local theaters. It’s one of my favorite shows, and I
don’t think it gets enough credit. Most would probably assume it’s just the
musicalized version of the cheesy cartoon, but its creative team made it much
more than that. Shrek the Musical deals with important issues such as
alienation, isolation, and body image, and it makes you question the
perceptions we have of others. Watching it again brought me back to when I was
first introduced to Shrek in my freshman year of high school. For me, Shrek
was the musical that fostered my love of Broadway. It was how I was introduced
to Sutton Foster—now my favorite actress of all time—and it also introduced me
to one of my biggest role models: composer Jeanine Tesori.
In addition to Shrek, Jeanine Tesori has composed the music for numerous Broadway shows, including Caroline or Change, Violet, and the 2015 Tony Winning Best Musical, Fun Home. She’s known to be the most successful female Broadway composer of all time. She is both a trailblazer for women in the world of Broadway and an immensely talented creative. I love her music because the sounds she creates always reflect the show’s distinct setting. The sounds of Jeanine Tesori’s shows are so different that you wouldn’t guess they’re written by the same person. The music of Violet is bluesy, reflecting its setting of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, while Fun Home’s music is a darker pop/rock score with an ode to the 1970’s, reflecting the funeral home in Pennsylvania where it takes place. Shrek, on the other hand, features a classic Broadway-style sound and has catchy group numbers and other heartwarming ballads.
A scene from when I did Shrek in high school
In my sophomore year of high school, my choir
teacher announced that our class’s final project would be to research a
composer and present a project on them. Naturally, I decided that I would pick
Jeanine Tesori—that is until my choir teacher told me that Jeanine Tesori
“isn’t classical enough,” and she handed me a list of old, white, dead male
composers to pick from instead. I was outraged that I not only couldn’t pick
the composer I wanted, but that I also had no women to pick from. I grudgingly
picked Stephen Sondheim.
The following year, my teacher assigned the same
project, and after my outrage the year before, she said we could choose any
composer. I was finally getting a chance to present on my role model. I
thought, Why don’t I reach out to Jeanine and ask if I can interview her?
I figured I would probably never hear back, but it was worth a shot. I messaged
her on Twitter of all places, and less than an hour later, Jeanine responded to
me and said that she would be delighted to let me interview her. I couldn’t
believe it.
Meeting Jeanine Tesori
Interviewing Jeanine was an unforgettable
experience. It shocked me that such a successful woman (and a Tony winner!)
would be so generous to share her life experiences with a high school junior.
It meant so much to me, and I’ll never forget the time she took with me. She
shared that she is frequently the only woman in the room when she’s working on
a Broadway show, and that she feels an enormous responsibility with that. She
believes that women on top need to help other women get there, so she tries to
be an exemplar of that. She also has women who she looks up to as well: in the
same way that I look up to her, she told me she looks up to Linda Twine,
musical director of Big River and The Color Purple.
We live in a world where only 17% of roles on
Broadway creative teams are held by women, but Jeanine Tesori is one of the few
women who have made it to the top and is trying to help others get there too.
She is using her talent and her platform to lift up others, meanwhile inspiring
a new generation of women while doing it. That’s why I admire her so much: she
has shown me firsthand how crucial it is to see someone like you reflected
where you want to be. It’s now my goal to work on Broadway and use my work to
advocate for more women and other minorities to be on Broadway’s creative
teams, something first modeled to me by my role model Jeanine Tesori.
Last week I traveled to California to visit my cousin who recently moved to Marina Del Rey. I enjoyed spending the week doing some sightseeing (you know I couldn’t miss seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s star on the Walk of Fame), catching up with family, and trying lots of new food spots. My favorite part of the week, however, had to be the two days my mom and I spent at Disneyland.
I was lucky that my parents took me to Disney World a few times as a kid, and a lot of my best childhood memories were formed there. This recent trip was my first time ever visiting Disneyland. I had the best time getting to ride LOTS of rides, meeting Minnie Mouse, and trying a Mickey Mouse-shaped fruity pebbles funnel cake that was as amazing as it sounds. One thing I couldn’t help noticing is that Disneyland is a VERY theatrical place. Although you wouldn’t necessarily expect the park to be theatre-related, during my time there, I found that Disneyland has an undeniably theatrical spirit.
My delicious fruity pebbles funnel cake
First, every single person who works at Disneyland is referred to as a “cast member,” not an “employee.” This is because the Disneyland cast members are pretty much performing at all times. Disney obviously places the utmost importance on the happiness of its visitors, and its cast members are entrusted with the job of creating magical moments for guests. To do this, they are always friendly, smiling, and using a specific themed language to add to the immersive experience of Disneyland. They want to make the overall experience the best it can be.
Secondly,
Disneyland is basically a hub of all things needed for a show—costumes, sets,
props, etc. Each land in Disneyland has its own unique feel and set pieces that
transport you to that area: Fantasyland is marked by Sleeping Beauty’s castle
and brightly colored cottages, while Frontierland is adorned with red rock,
railroads, and western style trading posts. In addition, Disney cast members
and many of the guests are in costume. One of the best parts of Disneyland is
seeing the adorable kids visiting the parks dressed like their favorite Disney
characters.
Lastly, Disneyland is packed with live performances every single day. While I was there, I saw Frozen Live at the Hyperion Theater. I had previously seen Frozen on Broadway, and while this was a condensed version of the story, the quality of both shows was pretty comparable. It’s geared towards families, of course, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciated the diverse casting that Disney used in this production. I love that there are opportunities to watch live theatre all day, every day at Disneyland.
With all of
its theatrical elements, it’s probably not surprising that I cherished my time
at Disneyland. I greatly appreciate the effort Disney puts into making their
parks an immersive, interactive, and memorable experience. We were lucky enough
to be there on Disneyland’s 64th birthday—commemorating 64
years of creating happiness and lifelong memories. Whether you’re a child or an
adult, Disneyland can be a magical place for everyone. Most importantly, I love
that Disneyland allows you to feel like a kid again, where everything is magical
and anything is possible.
My third camp of the summer brought me to Cimadolmo, a small town nestled among the Prosecco hills of the northern Veneto region of Italy. Along with a South-African, a Canadian, and a fellow Michigander, we had an incredibly eventful first week.
At the beginning of the camp, the children were quite timid with our morning circle songs and activities—something that is not uncommon — but their level of apparent disinterest made me worry that they would be an unenthusiastic bunch. Thankfully, the first afternoon of habitat games came around and my worries were alleviated. In habitat games, we divide the campers into teams and have them compete in various relays to select the animals, colors, adjectives, and places that will become their team names. By the second game, practically every kid was invested in the competition and in the fate of their groupʼs name. Once the names were selected and each group began designing their team crests, every camper had at least one marker in hand and was making some contribution to the artwork. After this activity we soon came to know that any artistic endeavor required at least 30 extra minutes because the kids loved so much to draw and create absolutely anything.
Other afternoon activities fortunately proved to stir similar levels of excitement throughout the week; during our camp-wide scavenger hunt we had one Freddy Mercury impersonator, three human pyramids, four love letters to for us tutors, and 35 giddy campers running from one side of the school to another in an effort to solve all of the tasks first.
Once water games day came around we were in for a treat. Not only did we have 200+ water balloons to launch at one another but also a surprise “celebrity” participant (a camper impersonating Johnny Depp), a couple “Baby Shark” references, three water-war waging tutors (including myself), four completely soaked helpers, 10+ water relays, and countless buckets of water poured on anyone within range.
We ended the first week of camp with an eclectic talent show featuring everything from magic tricks, to the Macarena (courtesy of our lovely camp director and assistant), to gymnastics, to a re-telling of a Roman battle, to a dramatic reenactment of the time I was chased by a moose (which featured one of our camp helpers giving another a piggy-back ride so that they could chase me around the stage pretending to be a moose).
In addition to the excitement of camp, during my first few days in Cimadolmo, the Prosecco hills surrounding the town were officially named a UNESCO heritage site! Over the weekend, my host family and I visited a castle on one of the hills, where we made friends with some donkeys, admired the panoramic view of the nearby towns and countryside, and hurried down the hill back to the car when a hail-storm began aggressively pelting us with hail. Due to the storm, we spent 30 minutes hiding under trees, bridges, and overhangs in our car rather than drinking Prosecco but the adventure was lovely just the same (although I think Prosecco would have improved my sentiments toward the situation…. and lowered my panic as we scurried from one partially-safe spot to another).
All in all I enjoyed my first week in Cimadolmo and I look forward to what little adventures come my way next week!
If you’ve been reading my blog this summer, you are well aware of my passion for all things theatre and may have read my post about the lifelong impact that theatre has had on me. I’ve always had a second passion, as well—one that has been present in my life for almost as long and one that influences my life daily: writing.
Perhaps an unusual choice for most children, I spent my summers growing up attending Author Quest, a kids’ sleepaway writing camp in Ocqueoc, Michigan, owned by Michigan Chillers author Johnathan Rand. I first attended Author Quest in June of 2009 at only 10 years old. I remember being terrified of going to sleepaway camp knowing only a single person, and on top of that, feeling nervous of what other people would think of my writing. While I enjoyed writing, I had never received any sort of praise or encouragement about my writing from anyone other than my parents. My fears were quickly alleviated, however, as I stepped into the lush wilderness of Ocqueoc with 40 other campers who loved to write as much as I did. At that first camp, the staff and instructors at Author Quest took me under their wings and fully embraced me as a writer. They gave me a place where I felt safe to share my writing and deepest inner thoughts with others. They gave me the confidence to take risks with my writing, and to keep going, even when I may feel discouraged.
My first Author Quest in 2009
The effects of Author Quest on my life go far beyond improving my writing. Because of how much the people at Author Quest believed in me at that first camp session and all of the sessions following, they made me believe I can do anything I set my mind to—whether it be becoming a professional writer or pursuing whatever else fulfills my soul. Author Quest was also the first place where I got true leadership experience, first as a counselor-in-training, and now as a counselor. It inspired me to become a better person, and it made me want to lift up the current campers in the same way the staff has lifted me up all these years. In addition, Author Quest has given me some of my most treasured friendships, people that I talk to on a weekly basis and eagerly look forward to reuniting with every summer.
My camp friends
At the end of June, I returned from my 12th Author Quest camp session and my fifth session being a full-fledged counselor. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the week reading and writing for copious amounts of time, catching up with my friends, and listening to the campers read their newly crafted stories around the campfire every night. As a counselor, I’m thankful that I now get to play a small role in the experience of the current campers and give them similar encouragement and care that I received at their age. Each year, I am blown away even more by the talent of the campers who attend Author Quest. At 10, 11, 12, and 13 years old, they are using words I’ve never heard and creating such expertly constructed, inventive stories that I never could have dreamed of in a thousand years. Each camp, Ann Rowland, Author Quest’s camp director, stresses to the campers that they are good writers, not just good writers for their age —which is true and what I believe is a testament to the respect the campers at Author Quest receive.
There’s a reason I’ve now attended Author Quest for 10 years. I’ve come to realize that the feeling of having someone believe in you is invaluable. The people at Author Quest have remained both positive and encouraging but have always challenged me when I needed it most . Because of Author Quest, I’ve worked diligently to foster my passion for reading and writing throughout my life. Author Quest is the reason I was brave enough to raise my hand in English class throughout school. It’s the reason I feel confident enough to publish my thoughts and writing on two blogs this summer. It’s the reason I want to incorporate writing into my future career, no matter where I end up. I’m grateful that my 10-year-old self somehow ended up at that writing camp in Ocqueoc all those years ago. I guarantee that if I hadn’t received their support, I wouldn’t be the same person or on the same path in life that I am on today.
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