A New Generation (Part 2) ...

I (Lindsay) think it’s fantastic that while we are on the road to NYMF, we’ve been presented with the opportunity to speak with young theater artists about our work. It’s great, not only because it gives us a reason to take a break from all of the computer work we are currently faced with including orchestrations and business associated with producing the show, but more importantly, because it provides us with new perspectives about the work we’ve been living with for eleven years (yes! ELEVEN!), breathing new life into what’s already been accomplished and renewing our enthusiasm we what still lies ahead.

On Monday, I was able to join Amanda (via Skype) for the second visit with the students at Edmonds Heights K-12. I was so excited to finally “meet” some of the newest members of the P&P family (that we fondly refer to as our “P&P alumni”), and I enjoyed finding out about their experience with the show and answering their questions. By chance, most of the students that day were the gentlemen of the ensemble, and I was struck by how engaged and curious they were with the story of P&P and the creation of this musical adaptation. It reminded me of reactions we have had in the past from male audience members who found themselves surprised by how much they enjoyed the show. And so my friends … If you think Pride and Prejudice is just 200-year-old Chick Lit, Think Again! EVERYONE needs a little Jane Austen!

But I digress …

Today, I was invited to speak at Geva Theatre Center’s Summer Academy. The Academy is a five-week summer acting conservatory for 30 students between the ages of 12 and 18. I spent three summers while I was in college apprenticing at the Academy and I consider my experience there as one of the milestones of my life – the classes and artist educators contributed directly to the artist and person I am today. So, you may be able to imagine how moved I was to be invited to speak with this year’s class which happens to be focusing on musical theater.

We covered all sorts of topics from my background and education to the different jobs I’ve had in the performing arts, to the way Amanda and I collaborate, to specifics about P&P itself. The students were attentive and enthusiastic and had such thoughtful questions. And we discovered through the conversation, that P&P was actually in its infancy – a kernel of an idea – while I was an apprentice at the Academy – eleven years ago.

And so, after this week, which was a kind of young artist sandwich, I’m left with the following reflection …

Our lives are shaped by the choices we make. Creatively and personally. The universe provides our given circumstances: opportunities, rejections, options, and we must use our heads and our hearts to hear that internal Ping! – that bell of truth that says “explore this” and “experience that.”

These beautiful young people – from coast to coast – have begun their journeys to become the fullest expressions of who they are in this world. And they have made the choice to use the performing arts as a way to explore the gift of humanity. What other choices will they make along the way? Where will they be in eleven years? Perhaps using a new technology to communicate with a roomful of young artists across the globe. Or maybe they will be asked to speak at the Geva Summer Academy to share the story of their choices with A New Generation.