To
my directors,
Thank you. As I look back at
the old pictures of musicals, I look at them and think “Wow I was
so young” and “Was that really one of my costumes?” I think of
all the times that we sat on the stage after rehearsal being drilled
into by harsh, but constructive notes. I think of how much time each
mom put in, and how much money they spent on our shows. But most
importantly, I think about how much it changed me.
Those long rehearsals were
killer, and after we would be shaken, hungry, and stressing about the
homework that needed to be done. But you pushed us to be better and
better. Having you there, pushing me, made me do better in my
classes. You gave me my first real part in a musical I ever had.
This, gave me the self-confidence I needed. Thank you for being the
one that I could rely on for anything, and between scenes goof around
and have fun with each other. For laying the groundwork for us, we
were able to climb up the rope ladder. As we got older, each one of
us excelled because of the stage. We learned to respect the props,
the tech, and who else was helping (even if we didn't respect them
enough). We tirelessly went over lines, and stayed up late to perfect
accents and impressions of those that inspired our characters. No
matter how many times you got mad at us for talking over you, or
getting the scene wrong for the ‘enth time in a row, we still
thought you were the best director ever. When you uttered, “it
looks great, this is it” we all let out a sigh of relief, we knew
that all our hard work paid off. When the lights came on opening
night, we were all shaking as the curtain rose, letting out that last
sigh of relief before we saw the shadowed-out audience. The whole
time wondering if we were making you proud.
So, I thank you. I thank you
for never giving up on us, no matter how rough we could be and for
helping us develop our personalities and our interests. Without you I
may not have the confidence on stage I have now. I thank you for
being one of the most influential people in my teenage life by giving
me that chance, over and over again. I thank you.
