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.
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.
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.
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