So, that is the short version but the best parts are in the details, so I am going to re-post a note I wrote on facebook and then as I have time do some more posts that should catch you up to everything going on past, present, and future.
As some of you know, or maybe all of you know, I have been waiting to hear if I got into the Theatre Program at Southern Oregon University (SOU). I have already been accepted into SOU and I had to submit an audition along with essays, reference letters, etc. for the actual Theatre Department. This weekend, A3 and I headed down to Ashland to check out the campus during their preview weekend and to check out the first preview show of the season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). This is going to be long but stick with me as I catch you up on the events leading to this past weekend and what actually transpired.
I have waited for years for it to be the right time and place for me to get a BFA in Acting. I gave up the theatre years ago because I knew it was what God wanted me to do. It was a gut wrenching decision but I knew it was right. Several years later, A3 and I felt that I needed to go back to college to get a degree. When we studied out the options of which degree to get, theatre kept coming up in the oddest ways. I was pissed. I was mad at God for making me give it all up just to taunt me with it now. I felt taunted by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival that was only three hours away and we had no money to spare. By this point, we were living in the 5th wheel RV and wanting to get into stable careers so we could get out of this place and help ensure that we wouldn't be placed in the same situation ever again.
Then something amazing happened. My good friend, Heidi Harris, happened to have free tickets to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and even a free hotel for A3 and me to stay at. So, we headed down there and saw Hamlet which also happens to be the first Shakespeare play that I performed years and years earlier in a professional setting. We also went to one of our church's temples and finally I accepted that the Lord wanted me to go back to school and get a BFA in acting. I was terrified.
So, I went to Southwestern Community College to work on my transfer degree while A3 got his AS in Nursing. Their theatre program closed right before I started. So, I took all the required undergraduate classes and took voice lessons and vocal jazz. I also studied out the acting programs around Oregon and eventually learned that SOU is the only university that OSF accepts acting interns from. That made SOU my only choice at that point.
The last two years, the SOU Theatre Department has just happen to have made some staffing changes. First, they brought in Jackie Apodaca. You can read about her amazingness here: http://www.sou.edu/theater/apodaca.html
Then, they brought in David R. Humphrey, Ph.D as the new Director of the Performing Arts department. His bio is here: http://www.sou.edu/theater/humphrey.html
The coup de grace that sealed me to my fate was James Donlon being brought in as well. It turns out he was Jackie Apodaca's favorite teacher. His bio is here: http://www.sou.edu/theater/donlon.html
His website is here: http://www.flyingactorstudio.com/flyingactorstudio/James_History.html
Sorry if you have to copy and paste but it will be worth it to read about them but especially James Donlon, if you don't know who he happens to be.
That brings me to this past weekend. We got into town late Thursday night. As we drove into town we both had a sense that something big was about to happen. Not necessarily in a good way either. It was equal parts terrifying and thrilling at the same time. It felt like that moment where you are upside down on a loop of a roller-coaster and feel like you are going to throw up. I slept fitfully that night and woke up at 4:30 a.m. and then 5:30 a.m. and then at 6:30 a.m. until I finally gave up and messed around on my phone until A3 woke up. We stayed at a motel that was right across from SOU and after we ate our complimentary continental breakfast we wandered over to SOU to check it out before all the festivities began. We walked around like we knew where we were going and may have went a few places that we maybe didn't have permission to go. We came across their amazing library.
The library has a whole wing dedicated to the study of Shakespeare. They had some books I have only read about in other books!! To me, that section felt like walking into a temple. The library is also three stories high and has art all over the place. As you walk through the library, it is fairly dim and as you choose an aisle to enter the lights slowly fade up giving the books an even more reverent feel as they are lit up waiting for you to discover their secrets.
Not far from the library is the Theatre Arts building. As we approached it, I froze in my tracks like a deer stuck in headlights. I was literally terrified and had all the classic symptoms of fight or flight. A3 walked right inside while I stayed out. I eventually went inside through another door where I didn't see any people except A3 who had scouted it out. I wandered around a bit and saw that they were about to have their first technical rehearsal for their shows that open next week. So, instead of asking for a tour, I had to high tail it out of there. I really felt nauseous and overwhelmed. We left the campus after that and went to get lunch and shop in downtown Ashland. I eventually got a headache and felt ashamed that I was such a coward.
The thing is, I had no idea if they had gone over the auditions yet or applications for the Department and I didn't want to face anyone there.
So, on the way back to the motel, I decided to face my fears and called the Theatre Department and asked if I could get a tour. The Administrative Assistant arranged it for us and asked if we could get there in a half hour. I said yes and even though I still had a headache, we went. I now bravely walked through the doors and we were introduced to a current student there named Ryan. He is graduating this Spring and has been accepted into Yale's graduate program for Technical Direction. He showed us around the theatre and brought us over to the underbelly of the Music building where they now do the Movement classes that James Donlon teaches. In that room just happened to be a student rehearsing. She also happened to be a transfer student and provided us with valuable information. During our tour we saw James Donlon walking by and I totally geeked out. We also saw Jackie Apodaca as she was leaving her office with her son, I believe. I didn't speak to either of them but was excited to see them. I felt much better after that and felt I had my dignity back in place. After that we checked in at SOU and were given dinner passes for their cafeteria. The food was amazing and we got there right before the crush of would-be freshmen and their parents swarmed the halls.
Later that evening, we attended The Taming of the Shrew at OSF. We were hesitant about seeing it due the way women are usually depicted. The show was brilliantly done, Petruchio and Kate were evenly matched, you could see the sparks of love, it was full to the brim with laughter with just the right amount of heartfelt moments. I also spotted David Ivers, the director in the audience, who also happens to be a co-artistic director of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Afterwards, we "just happened" to walk by him and I was able to tell him myself that it was indeed brilliantly done. We left OSF with grins on our faces.
So, Saturday comes along bright and early again for me. We grabbed some snacks to go from the hotel and checked in again at SOU. We were greeted with an amazing buffet of breakfast consisting of all the regular fare such as eggs, bacon, bagels but also a baked oatmeal with sweet potatoes that was actually really good. For bagel toppings, they also had smoked salmon and capers. We stuffed ourselves and also enjoyed some great pastries as well. Afterwards, they had us congregate at the Music building where we were presented with a performance by a brass quintet followed by greetings from all the higher ups and a Q&A with a student panel. Next, we headed back to where we had breakfast and they had booths set up with all the various departments and clubs.
The Theatre Arts area was crowded, so I bided my time until it was less busy. To my delight, James Donlon was there. I introduced myself and admitted that I was geeking out meeting him. He asked why and I told him I was a fan. He asked from where and I told him that I was old and knew his work. He said I wasn't that old. I told him I had done mask work before (He had some displayed). He asked where and I told him about the Southwest Shakespeare Conservatory. He then asked if I knew Jared Sakren, they apparently are good buddies. I told him I did and that I had done a show with him. He asked which one. I told him Hamlet on Trial and he told me he had heard about that show!!!!!!!!! I was thrilled. Later, I introduced myself to the head of the Performing Arts department and made a good connection there as well. While I was off looking at something else, A3 snuck back over to James Donlon and asked him a bunch of questions and I found out later that he basically told Ammon that I didn't have anything to worry about and that I had something along the lines of distinct/strong/good energy. A3 can't remember the word he used specifically. We also found out they have not gone over the applications yet.
The coolest part of the day was next. We got to pick a lecture to attend by one of their professors and lucky me, James Donlon was teaching one of them. So I got to spend and hour and a half with a Master teacher. Of course, I was also with a bunch of high schoolers but in this case I think my age/experience was an advantage. We did various movement activities and got to do some mask work. The best thing he said was that "Actors are athletes of the heart." He also noted that in order to be a good athlete of the heart, the actor must be an athlete of the body. Guess who needs to step up her exercise routine? Me! Ugh, I was feeling my age but was energized at the same time. A3 also got some great blackmail video of me during the class, but I saw it and I wasn't nearly as bad as I thought movement wise.
We had an Asian inspired lunch that was better than restaurant quality, again, the vegetarian dishes were amazing. Then we headed over to the family housing where we had been told there would be a tour. There was not. We were discouraged but headed back to the main campus to inquire about it. They told us they don't normally do tours there, and we told them it was on the paperwork, website and someone the day before assured us there would be a tour. So, they jumped on the phone and arranged a tour. The family housing wasn't super fabulous but bigger than what we have now. We also noticed that the family housing is not only close to the college but also close to the high school and junior high.
In the end, it was an incredible trip. A couple nights ago I wrote in my status update about standing at the cusp of destiny. I still feel that way but I am no longer terrified. Too many things "just happened." I know I am where God wants me and too many things have occurred to open up the way for me to get where he needs me, and for that, I am grateful and awed.
No comments:
Post a Comment