This time last week, the other International Thespian Officers, Diane Carr, Kristen McFadden and I were enjoying Newsies in New York City. We made this trip so that we could work the EdTA's table at the Broadway Cares Flea Market. Sunday morning, we were up bright and early so that we could eat and head to our table. From the minute we walked into Shubert Alley, we were seeing people who were on Broadway. One of the first people I saw was Clay Thompson who was in Newsies, but is now in Matilda. Personally, when I left for this trip, the two things I was looking forward to the most were seeing the other ITO and getting to meet Broadway stars.
Throughout our crazy day at the flea market, what I was enjoying most, was different from what I expected to enjoy most. Yes, it was cool to meet people on Broadway, but what was even more fun, was meeting Thespian Alum and people who were there just because they loved theatre. One of my favorite interactions I had was with a little 12 year old girl. It was the end of the day and we had been instructed to sell everything; it did not matter what the price was. We decided that we would charge $1 for anything and everything you could fit in the bag. These bags sold like crazy and people were stuffing them left and right. Sarah Etheridge (ITO Communications Editor) and I were helping this little girl fill her bag. Her mom immediately thanked us and explained that Broadway was the theme of her daughters Bat Mitzvah, but she just could not afford to buy her everything she wanted to get. Sarah and I immediately piled the bag as high as we could. We filled it with playbills, posters, CDs, and many other items we had at the table. The little girl was speechless, but she just smiled. We could tell she had tears in her eyes, and she just kept saying "Thank You." For Sarah and I, this was definitely a highlight of our day.
We also had a book at the table for past Thespians to write their name and e-mail address. It was really neat to meet the people and have them sign the book. It amazed me how many people we met that were or are Thespians. By the end of the day, we had several pages full of newly found Thespian Alum.
I am so thankful to everyone who made this trip possible for us. Not only did we have a blast hanging out with each other, but we all met some really neat people. I also enjoyed hearing people tell us why they were there, and why theatre meant something to them. Theatre is a truly powerful thing.