The Week of Spontaneous Moments of Theater; or, My Last Week of College

Theater/dance/performing is one of the most frightening things I've ever done. To be so vulnerable in front of a group of people can be terrifying. Theater/dance/performing is also one of the most gratifying things I've ever done. To be able to tell a story to a group of people can be so fulfilling. Theater/dance/ performing is my passion. To be able to connect with a group of people is why I feel happiest when I'm on stage.

You know what else is frightening and gratifying at the same time?

Graduating college.

I think it's scarier this time around because as cheesy as it sounds, college is the place where I found the most confident and truest version of myself. And I am also officially finished with the educational institution structure that I've known for so long, which is probably why I've become extremely nostalgic for days past. But surely I can't be the only one? I sift through the memories of swing sets and tater tots, CRTV morning announcements and pep assemblies; tossing aside the negative ones of frustration, anger, and hurt, and spending extra time carefully and vividly re-membering the details of the good ones.

And sometimes, we're so busy trying to craft the perfect good memory, that we miss the actual good memories. You can't force good memories; isn't it always the unplanned moments that we revisit again and again afterwards?

I wanted to make sure that I honored the place that I had called home for the past four years properly. How was I to plan a memorable last week of college, and yet not get in the way of myself by spending too much time planning?

The morning of Monday, April 28, I didn't know.

Later that day, I invited myself to participate in a staged reading by using my (as described by Martin Rodriguez) silky voice to read the stage directions. I was so happy that I got to engage in my passion of performing with my friends one last time before I graduated. Then I though to myself, why does it have to end here?

Spoiler Alert: It didn't.

I decided I would spend the last week doing one of the most frightening and gratifying things I could think of: theater/dance/performing.

"Five days left of my college career; five unknown, spontaneous moments of theater to be discovered and performed. I'm spending my last week of school engaging in my passion. Today, I used my "silky" voice in the staged reading of Matt Hill's "Erin Roberts in A Wheelchair".
Planned: 3:03pm Performed: 7:05pm"

What better way to celebrate the end of this chapter than with being able to do it five last times, right before it's all over? I gave myself a few rules:

• It had to include at least one other person besides myself
• It had to be planned after I woke up for the day
• It had to be documented 

"Today, my moment of spontaneous theater took place with one of the most committed and talented actors I know, reading Ruth and Walter in the opening scene of one of the classics: A Raisin In The Sun.
Planned: 2:14am Performed: 2:20am"

It was incredible how much happier I felt. Even if it was a quickly planned reading of the first scene of one of my favorite plays at 2 o'clock in the morning, it was a moment of theater I wouldn't have had otherwise. In fact, the impromptu and almost-haphazardness of it all was actually my favorite part.

"Today, I choreographed and danced "Four Women" with the spirited and brilliant Ursula Walker Full video of this spontaneous moment of theater can be found on my Facebook!
Planned: 1:56pm Performed: 4:52pm"

I also found that this week was perfect for creating and performing pieces that I've always wanted to do but had found so many excuses not to do. Never found the time, never had the energy, etc. On Wednesday, I finally got the chance to move to the song "Four Women" by Nina Simone. Originally, I wanted four dancers to represent the four women, but being spontaneous, not all four could make it. So instead, the piece included Ursula and I, and it was exactly what I needed it to be. 

It felt right. Making and performing theater so quickly gave me a rush of adrenaline and sense of accomplishment. Especially sharing it with fellow theater artists that encourage and inspire me daily. On Thursday, several of my favorite musical theater friends and I recreated Wicked's "Dancing Through Life" in the same setting as they do in Wicked, in front of a statue.

"Today, I recreated Wicked's "Dancing Through Life" with some of my favorites! We performed choreo we leaned in our musical theater class in front of the MLK statue just like they do at Shiz University in Wicked. Full video will be on YouTube soon!
Planned: 3:18pm Performed: 5:09pm"

Okay, I'll be honest. For Friday's spontaneous moment of theater, I cheated. The idea came to me on Monday, but if it helps, I waited until Thursday to ask if people were the next night around 10:30pm. And I waited to give out official details until Friday. 

I wanted to celebrate this week of spontaneous moments of theater with the people that had shared this experience of college with me. The Theater and Dance seniors. We wrote and read love letters to the Forty Acres together at the Tower. It was beautiful, emotional, and spontaneous. While, yes, we all had very individualized experiences and feelings, they were all conveyed through rhythms of appreciation, cadence of reverence, and phrases of gratitude. Tasha wrote a salacious, erotic poem, Ja'Michael sang, and several even spoke extemporaneously about their experiences over the past four years. One thing we all had in common? We thanked UT. 

"Today, I finished my college career. Today, I read a love letter to the Forty Acres with nine of the most inspiring theater artists I know, who are also graduating. Today, I concluded my week of spontaneous moments of theater. Thank you, UT.
Planned: 8:25am Performed: 10:44pm"

So, thank you, UT. For the confidence you gave me. For the community you gave me. For the memories you gave me. You took in a young girl who didn't know what to make of her potential, and is now leaving as a fearless woman, who will most definitely look back, sift through these memories, and spend extra time carefully and vividly re-membering the details of the good ones.