Visual and Performing Arts Teacher
It was the summer of 2010. I was seated in the very dark, and the very back of Hall Auditorium in Oberlin, Ohio. It was the Oberlin Summer Theater Festival. I would sit in the back of this auditorium for three weeks waiting for act three to begin. On this particular occasion I was not only an audience member but also an actor participant in Thornton Wilder's play Our Town. I was seated in the back of the auditorium because on queue, I would soon to be a part of a funeral procession that entered from the rear of the auditorium. We processed down the aisles passing through a sea of theater goers.
The funeral was for the lead character, Emily Webb, who had just died due to complications in childbirth. Once she is buried and the funeral congregants have left, she converses with friends and neighbors from her past life that were buried alongside her in the local graveyard. They talk to her about how to best adjust to the afterlife. They offer advice. Ignoring that advice, she decides to go back and relive one day from her life. She chooses to relive her 16th birthday. As she travels back in time she realizes that the things are exactly the same, but she is experiencing them differently. Little things that occurred have taken on a fresh, different meaning. Things that seemed mundane to a 16 year old girl now appeared profound to a grown woman, especially since she realizes she will never have these things ever again. Even the act of her mother drawing a warm bath for her was strangely profound to her now.
While I was performing in the Oberlin Summer Theater Festival, I was also working full time as a General Manager for a financial group during the day. But as I sat in the audience waiting for my queue to proceed down the aisle, something was beginning to change in my thinking. I started wondering what my life would look like if I only did things that I truly loved.
When Our Town closed that summer, I quit my job of 10 years to pursue doing what I loved to do, music and theater. I also decided to surround myself with people and things that I loved. I was embracing the essence of Wilder’s play. I believe that Thornton Wilder is saying that life is short and precious, a gift. We should enjoy every moment and appreciate the time we are given and the people with whom we are sharing time.
The importance of an education that contains the creative and performing arts goes without question. There are many studies that point to its benefits. “Arts learning experiences benefit students in terms of social, emotional, and academic outcomes,” writes researchers Dan Bowen of Texas A&M and Brian Kisida of the University of Missouri. While I believe the prior statement to be true, the creative and performing arts did something much greater for me and I saw something wonderful happen to our community through The Diary of Anne Frank.
For the last 6 weeks, a group of mostly students and I have memorized, blocked and rehearsed every word of Kasselman’ adaptation. The play opened and closed in a single weekend. Even though I believe most of our actors were just looking for something to do, they received something much greater through sharing Anne’s story.. I don't want to seem overly dramatic, even though I am the Drama Teacher, but I have seen compassion, love, encouragement, self-awareness, realization and personal transformation in these short 6 weeks.
One of the young actors had this to say about their experience of being in Anne Frank. "Coming into the Anne Frank project, my only reason was to be back in a show. I hadn't performed since October and needed that rush again. However, before the rehearsal process even began, I was being touched by the show. Playing the role of a person who bettered people's lives to the best of her ability. Knowing her heartbreak, but also the pains and struggles of those she cared for so much. It really digs into you. Even my parents have noticed I've been kinder to my sister lately. Being in this show has reminded me how deeply I need to value the things, and especially the people I love. I am beyond fortunate to have them alive. To not be taken from them. To not have to fear for my or their lives. The show is a very strong symbol of how powerful hate truly is, and how it needs to be stopped for anything to improve."
Another student had this to say. “My participation in The Diary of Anne Frank carries a sense of community. The cast, I feel, has grown very close to each other as we help and support each other through the heavy—but extremely important—message that the show carries. Theatre allows one to project themselves onto a character, simultaneously learning as much about yourself as who one is portraying. Theatre has given me a place to belong, to share, and to express myself.”
The Diary of Anne Frank was only open for one weekend. Between opening night on Friday evening to closing the show at the Sunday matinee, I could see something happening with our young cast. They were understanding the weight of Anne’s story. They were understanding how the weight of oppression and prejudice must have felt for these people. They were realizing how important it is to tell, and retell these stories so that the stories are never forgotten. They were understanding that participating in live performance and connection with an audience has power. They were starting to believe in themselves.
When a show closes there are many, mixed emotions. At the end of Sunday’s matinee there were accolades and there were tears. A woman approached me in the lobby. She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the side. She told me that I saved someone’s life with this production. She said that someone on stage needed this so badly. Someone on stage needed to know they have talent and worth. Someone needed to shine. She wanted to thank me for making this opportunity available for them. I promised her that these opportunities will be abundant here at Andrews Osborne Academy because I know what theater did for me.
