The Only Thing Constant is Change

In November 2013, I made a big, scary decision to leave the Empress Youth Theatre program.  At the time, it seemed super permanent.  I posted about it, citing my excitement over spending the last 3 weeks of summer with my own kids, needing to be sideline at football games, and all sorts of other really awesome reasons why I needed the change.

And then I had a super awesome 2014 summer.  I went to Puerto Rico with my family... right in the middle of EYT.  I spent 10 days with my sister in Arizona.  I relaxed.  I came and saw the EYT production from the comfy audience seats.  And the decision to leave still seemed super permanent.

During the 2014/2015 year, I traded my music room at school for the walls of a 5th grade classroom, a choice I have truly enjoyed all year long.  But one that means less music on a daily basis.  And one that I'm deciding to keep pretty permanent.

In December 2014, I announced another big, scary decision - this time to step down as director of the Dickens Festival.  Again, I posted about it, this time in silly poetic form.  As I look forward to my first Christmas in 5 years that won't be overshadowed by call times and news promos, it's definitely feeling permanent.

But I am quickly discovering that no matter how much I try to predict what I think I am going to want in the future, sometimes I just don't know until I get there!  So here I am now, staring Summer 2015 in the face and wondering...

Where did it all go?  

Somewhere in the de-cluttering of my life, I managed to clear my summer so completely that I have nothing to look forward to except endless hours of camping and traipsing around the country like a gypsy woman.

Oh, wait!  That sounds awesome!

And I'm totally gonna do that for June and July.

But while I'm on the road, my brain needs a project to chew on.  So much so that I have been chewing on this ridiculous idea:

ABC

(Andrea's Basement Choir)

In that daydream, neighborhood kids would come do a week-long show choir session in my basement.

Which is ridiculous.

Anyhow, when the Empress Theatre contacted me and asked if I would be willing to be involved in this year's EYT production, I knew that was a WAY better way to spend my mental energy than organizing show choirs in my unfinished basement.

And so here it is.

What I thought was permanent wasn't so much.  Instead, I'm finding myself in a whole new position, this time as Producer.

What does that mean, exactly?  It means I get to help this year's director, Chalese, make all the ideas in her head appear on a stage.  It means I get to spend at least a bit of time with the kids who make the EYT program so great.  It means I get to stay up way too late working on audition forms and typing blogs and feeling...

Happy.

Purposeful.

Confident.

Excited.

All the things that have honestly been just a bit beyond my reach lately.

So I guess I'm making another announcement, and this time I will fully acknowledge that I have no idea what is around the next bend.  But as for this summer...

Who are we?

EYT!