When I was almost eleven, I auditioned for my 1st show: Lion King Jr.(2018), and suddenly, I was a 5’ 0” Mufasa with an unchanged voice facing off against a Scar who was 3 years and a whole foot taller than me. Talk about a deep end. Being in a show was unlike anything I’d ever done before. I was in a place where a big personality was encouraged, where I could express myself. I continued doing shows, and was trying out backstage for Secret Garden (2020) when the pandemic hit. In other words: isolation for 9 months. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. But Journey didn’t stop their mission. During that period I participated in 2 online classes, worked on crew for a movie and joined Journey Carolers.
After the pandemic (finally) ended, I got back into in person classes and tried out Improv for the first time. It forced me to act in ways I hadn’t done ever before. But, I stuck with it and continued to grow as an actor. Any stage fright I had left in me had been purged out through the sheer number of stupid things I’ve said/done in an Improv scene. It also helped me learn to use my mistakes as opportunities rather than failures.
Another piece of my post-covid Journey (pun intended) was being old enough to do tech-crew. Crew in the tech world was a completely new experience. Instead of props and boxes, there were buttons and dials. In tech-crew, there is a very obvious, direct responsibility for each person. I myself am guilty of looking at the feet of the dancer in front of me when I blank on the choreo (probably why I was there in the first place). Tech-crew didn’t have that. Of course, the Stage Manager is calling the cues, but the actual action that made the light go on or played the right track was all me.
My favorite part of tech-crew was the people. We try to keep it quiet up in the booth, but there is almost always a satirical highlight reel of the funniest moments or an over the top silent celebration when that one cue is finally timed right. Those little moments of joy are what finally brings me to my point. From that little group of 5 people on the Walki-Talki to the beans that form during dinner breaks at rehearsal. From the skills I’ve learned to the friends I’ve made to the person I am today, Journey has been my steadfast community.