I think my favorite part about attending festivals is when someone stops me after the N.A.P.S workshop and says, "You know, I was really mad that we weren't napping, but I actually learned a lot." I get comments like this A LOT. Why? Because Advocacy is a scary word and it's a scary topic, but students are realizing that we're at the age where we can do something about. I love seeing the idea of how serious an issue arts funding is and how even the advocating for their shows is advocating for theatre! The response has been tremendous, many troupes have kept in contact with me and are furthering N.A.P.S. into their daily schedule. Advocacy facts are put in programs, Theatre Shirt Thursday has become regular, advisory boards are being invited to performances and the list goes on. I'm so proud that us thespians have come together to improve awareness about our wonderful art. But it can't stop there, Advocacy takes everyone. All it takes is one person to tell one story to change someones perspective. With every story I hear about why thespians tell their story, I break a little bit. Theatre truly does change people, it's there. Whether theatre saves their life or they just find it fun, it's impactful. I just didn't realize how impactful other peoples experiences could be on myself. But think about how amazed someone who didn't know anything about theatre would be. I am so excited to keep napping in the future and to hear the stories from more thespians to come as to why they tell their stories.