This past week I had the amazing opportunity to go to NYC and sing with the Mansfield University Women's Choir as the nuns chorus in the Carnegie Hall production of the Sound of Music! The trip was amazing to say the least. Not only did Carnegie pay our way, put us up in a hotel, and pay for all our meals- but the staff was amazing there! I wrote a reflection about the trip as requested by Dr. Jürgen Thym (Dr. Dettwiler's husband)! Here is the reflection below. It's a little sappy so be ready for mushiness before you read it :) Enjoy!
This
semester I had the privilege of playing the role of Maria in the Sound
of Music on the Mansfield stage! I was so happy and proud to play such a
large role in Mansfield's production for my final year. I loved every
second of the opportunity, and as we reached
performance weekend I didn't want it to end. The other cast members
seemed a little worn out and happy to finally be finishing the show, but
during the final performance I could only think how much I was going to
miss being Maria and miss being apart of this
beautiful and inspiring show: But then I remembered it wasn't over for
me yet. Yes, I was finished playing the role of Maria, but I was not
finished with the show! I would get one more shot at being in this
production as a nun with the women's chorus in Carnegie
Hall! This was a sincere blessing to me and pleasure to be apart of.
As the weekend of the Carnegie performance approached I felt myself
growing anxious and excited to see what it would be like. I have worked
once before in the hall and was excited to go back! From the moment we
stepped inside the doors of the theater I knew
that this trip would be something special and meaningful to me. At our
first rehearsal I was blown away with the way we sounded singing in the
hall, at our second rehearsal I was blown away with the professional
actors and actresses who were in the cast. One
thing that really struck me was their amazing personalities. They were
not only talented, but funny and kind as well. The entire cast and crew
received our choir very well and treated us like professionals. The
morning of the show came and I started feeling
a little more sentimental. I sat on stage watching the entire show
unfold before me and kept thinking back to our show at Mansfield. I
thought about all the moments I had with the children, with my costar
and best friend, Derek Gracey, and our fabulous directors.
I felt so lucky to get to relive the show and be apart of it again.
One particular moment of the performance really struck me; The final
scene in Act 1, where Maria leaves the family and goes back to the abbey
because she realized she had feelings for the Captain. I watched as
Maria spoke to Mother Abbess about her mixed emotions,
and remembered the way I felt when I did that scene. Mother Abbess began
to sing Climb Every Mountain, and my mind started racing. I thought
about how beautiful the song was, and that it's messages of overcoming
obstacles and following your dreams were exactly
what we were doing! As a choir we had reached for our dreams and made
it! I felt so overcome with emotions both reminiscent and present that
my eyes started to fill with tears. I kept in the tears until I was off
stage for intermission, but couldn't hold them
in once I made it to the elevator. I cried because I was so happy and
thankful to be apart of such a moving and inspiring production.
I enjoyed every minute of the whole weekend, and leaving NYC that day
was like saying goodbye to an old friend. I might have said goodbye to
the Sound of Music for now, but every tune holds a special meaning to me
and will continue to sing on in my head; reminding
me of the power of music and that dreams can come true if we are willing
to climb the mountains in our way.
No comments:
Post a Comment