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ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

  • 1.  ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-15-2017 12:47
    Hello again Thespians!

    Welcome to your third, and final blog post! Thank you all for your wonderful responses so far, we have really loved reading them and getting to know!

    As always, make sure to read your fellow candidate's responses. Check out last week's prompt here:  Educational Theatre Association

    Candidates, your question this week is: What are your aspirations for the future and why?

    Thank you! We can't wait to see you all in Lincoln!

    ------------------------------
    Shaila Seth
    ITO Vice Chair
    Troupe 8104
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-15-2017 14:50
      |   view attached

          I tend to think very far ahead into the future. Whether it's waking up and thinking about dinner, or thinking about college and career options as a high school freshman, thinking ahead has always benefit me in my planning and preparing for things. In the near future, my goal is to attend New York University for a BFA in Theatre and a Masters in Performing Arts Management. I love exploring my limits; I think New York is the perfect place for people who want to expose themselves to more culture and learn about the world as a whole.  I have a slight obsession with working and keeping myself busy- my junior year is to blame for this, but I'm going to run with it. This is why being in a fast paced environment and attending a challenging university will help me keep this bullet train chugging along.

          In the distant future, I'd like to combine my passion for theatre and knowledge of business and become a theater manager. I'd settle down in the Big Apple, live in a closet-sized apartment and take the subway to the theater to make magic happen. How would I make that magic happen? I don't quite know yet, but I sure am ready to learn. The next stage in my life is about filling in the knowledge gaps and building myself into an adult. After I do that, this dream of mine can become a reality. Both of my parents are hard-working entrepreneurs. Like my grandparents, they know what it is to start from a faint idea and build it into a reality through passion and perseverance. I plan to take their paths and do the same.

          Learning about minorities and activism, I've made it my goal to gain appreciation. Appreciation is a wide umbrella with many concepts under it; appreciation for rights, material goods, privileges, and struggles. I've lived in upper class suburban homes, and I've lived in trailers. I've lived in a household where five dollars was nothing, and a household where five dollars meant everything. The contrast is very sharp; some goals of people are to become millionaires while others are to graduate high school. For the rest of my life, I want to gain appreciation of anything I can. By traveling (with the couple cents I'll have left from living in New York) and putting myself in other's shoes, I can do this. I want to live my life as an activist and a "doer". From marching to kickstarting campaigns, my main aspirations are to not only make magic happen in the theater, but to make magic happen in the world as well.



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    Jack Ford
    Troupe 5765
    Durham, NC
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-15-2017 17:27
    Some of my aspirations for the future would have to be to help model diversity in theatre, to inspire the youth of my community to follow their dreams, and to make my family proud. To help model diversity in theatre is one of my goals because, we lack different types of cultural diversity on and off stage. The youth will play a major role in the future to reach their dreams and aspirations as children to young adults to influence their peers to never give up. My most important goal for the future is to make my family proud because without my support system I wouldn't be as eager, a serving leader, and the smiling individual I am today.

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    Rentavious Buffington
    Troupe 2445
    Gainesville GA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-15-2017 21:00

         Thank you for your question, Shaila! When planning my future, I have found the most pleasure in creating a bucket list. There are many moments I hope to experience, for example, I want to meet and receive a makeover from drag queen and the love of my life, Sasha Velour. I want to learn to ride a bike (like, actually. Help wanted.), officiate a wedding, and do both at the same time. I want my likeness to be replicated on The Sims 4. I am also very passionate about my retirement plan, sitting on a park bench with a sandwich and giving young people generic relationship advice.

        On a serious note, my future after school has yet to become very specific. I am currently looking at a handful of liberal arts colleges in Los Angeles where I can pursue a BFA program that focuses on screen acting. I want to one day soon work in television as an actor, writer, and director. I see TV as an amazing platform to create art that promotes social and political change. I am inspired by comedic art on television that teaches morals through important issues, for example, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, which advocates for mental health, Parks and Recreation, advocating for teamwork and the unbreakable human spirit, and Dear White People, which advocates for many different forms of equality.

        Growing up, my mom put herself through nursing school while raising my little sister and I alone. Often, the closest thing we had to a babysitter was the TV. What we saw on our screen taught us what was right and wrong in our society. While I credit art for many good values I possess, I developed a lot of internalized homophobia due to the lack of representation assuring me that my sexuality was normal. I want to create art I would have enjoyed when I was young, inclusive that accurately represents the era it is from. When people look back on the art we created within our generation, I want them see an accurate depiction of our culture, art we created as an ensemble.

        Wherever my future takes me, I hope it will be rich with people I love, a high stress work, and more passion than I can imagine.




    ------------------------------
    Best Wishes,
    Tyler Fredrickson
    STO Chair / ITO Candidate
    Salem, Oregon
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-16-2017 12:51
    In order to see what is ahead, I get coffee with people. All. The. Time. My bank account is eaten up by chai tea lattes and iced coffees from Cool Beans or Daily Grind. I'm the girl who's always asking if you're "down for coffee." I think there's something magical about coffee shops... something that makes us open up about our lives and just get real. I leave them feeling high on caffeine and happy about what life has to offer to us. The future is so insane and it helps me to hear stories of how others have ended up to craft what my likes and dislikes are, and what I really see myself doing.

    All of these coffee dates made me realize that I want my job to be like that. I love listening to people's stories, and offering advice, encouragement, and love towards them. I want to go to the University of Georgia and major in psychology, and then get my masters and doctorate in it. There's something so intriguing to me about learning the skeleton of our minds- how we develop emotions and use them to be social with others. Psychology ties hand in hand with theatre, because we are constantly finding the motivation behind lines and actions. It tells us scientifically why we do what we do, and that is so interesting to me... to see how our brains are wired and why emotions even exist in the first place!

    Therapists have made such an impact on my life, and changed my mindset. My dad in 2007 decided one day to pack up all of his things and abandon my family while my brother and I were at school and my mom was at work. It was immediate- there were no things leading up to it that would assume he would leave. The only thing left of him was a letter. My mom filed a divorce, and I had a lot of emotions because of my dad's decision. My relationship with my dad has been rocky, but going to therapy has helped me immensely. I was able to unbottle my emotions and express them to my dad, and be at peace with everything that occurred. I believe that everything happens for a reason and shapes us into the person we need to be, and I wouldn't take back anything that has happened in my past. I wouldn't have this mindset if it weren't for my therapists. They help me appreciate humanity and embrace the emotions we go through. I want to do that for someone else.

    When I tell my family and mom's friends what my aspirations are, many of them are in shock and confused as to why I'm not pursuing theatre. Yes, I love to perform... but I know that what's more fulfilling to me is understanding people's real life stories and the true motivations as to why we do what we do: seeing how real life characters cope with the opportunities and choices life throws at them. Also, just because I'm picking to pursue psychology doesn't mean I'm throwing away performing and art forever. They play hand in hand, and I will never stop performing, seeing shows, or supporting the arts.

    I cannot believe we will all be in Nebraska in a few short days together! I can't wait to meet the faces behind all of these lovely posts :) Pictured below are places you can find me when I'm not in the theatre.

    ------------------------------
    Caroline Caden
    Troupe 7190
    Marietta, GA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-16-2017 16:17
    As you move up in high school, you begin to think farther and farther into the future. You start by making a choice about your future career and then move back and make a choice about a future college. As a rising junior, I'm beginning to make these very important decisions. 

    From the the moment that I walked into the first rehearsal for the first show that I stage managed, I knew that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a stage manager, and I wanted to move to a big city with a big theatre community. Right now that choice is still between New York and Chicago. After deciding what I wanted my career to be, I began thinking about colleges. My dream school of the University of North Carolina - School of The Arts. If I end up attending that school, I believe it will set me up for incredible opportunities. 

    No no matter where I end up, the one thing about my future that will never change is that I will always stay involved with theatre!

    ------------------------------
    Hannah Maner
    Troupe 2273
    Florence AL
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-16-2017 19:52

        I have never been keen on thinking too far ahead, as the saying goes "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans" but I can tell you what I know. I know I love to act and I want to study it on a higher level. I know that I will always advocate for afros, love, and theatre. I know that I will always fight for young people to have better opportunities and education regardless of financial standing.
        What I know has guided me in every decision up to this point and will continue to guide me through college and beyond. I feel that ultimately I have always loved people. It has always been my goal to pursue equality and I hope that my education and career will emulate that.
       While I have found my place in theatre, leadership and community service has always been a passion of mine as well. Which is why this position is so unique and important to me. I think as this critical year moves forward I will continue to look for ways to incorporate all of my pursuits but I feel that this is an important step in doing so. I look forward to the opportunity to learn and grow from this experience, and to see what the future holds.

    thumbnail image
    If I'm really being honest though I'm trying to be the next Viola.
    Wish me luck! See you all very soon.






    ------------------------------
    Ashli Funches
    Helena AL
    Alabama STO
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-16-2017 21:58

    The future that I've been dreaming about since I was in grade school seems so close now!  It's hard to imagine that I only have one more year before I'm expected to, for lack of a better term, "adult".  In the not-to-distant future I plan to attend Georgetown University to major in International Affairs with a concentration in Security Policy.  I fell in love with international issues at the National Student Leadership Conference for National Security in Washington D.C.  At the conference, I discovered who I am as a leader and that I want to make a lasting impact on the world in the best way I can.  Eventually, I hope to work for Homeland Security or some other human intelligence agency because I love learning about new cultures and societies.   Our cultural and societal differences are what make us unique and by understanding those differences, we can bring the world together for the betterment of everyone.

    The National Archives in DC(Exploring the National Archives at the National Student Leadership Conference)

    That is where theater ties into all of this.  Theater has taught me much more about other cultures than I ever would have learned otherwise.  Participating in and seeing shows such as Miss Saigon, Rag Time, and Rent have opened my eyes to the difficulties that all people face and allowed me to empathize which only strengthens my confidence in my future professional success.  Though my professional ambitions are not directly related to the arts, they can certainly be attributed to my time in theater and the lessons it has taught me about life. 

    Election Flyers(Flyers put under the door in the middle of the night for a mock Presidential Election at the leadership conference)

    Theater has taught me humility, perseverance, and dedication.  I know that I will be successful in whatever I pursue because of my work ethic and attitude that only theater could have instilled in me.  We theater kids don't give up and I don't plan on letting anything come between me and my goals!

    Brief of a presidential cabinet meeting(A midnight presidential briefing for the cabinet meeting the next morning.  My role was the Director of National Security in the real-time simulation of a terrorist threat.  Talk about exhausting!) 

    Thanks for reading and I can't wait to meet everyone next week!



    ------------------------------
    Lauren Harpole
    Troupe 2712
    Newburgh, IN
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-18-2017 12:14
    Excellent question! I love answering this question, which is good since it's one I encounter frequently and, as a incoming senior, I'll find more often than before. Naturally, I've changed my mind on this subject quite a bit, as I've grown to find who I am and what I love to do. However, I believe I've settled on the path for me.

    Obviously, theatre is a large part of me. I love the magic that comes with it. While I can be found both on stage and on the wings, I strive to live behind a production. I want to direct. I adore seeing every part of theatre come together, and, in the end, deliver the performance we've practiced so long for. I love being able to bring that together.

    More than directing, though, and possibly, no, ideally,hand in hand with it, is playwriting. Or perhaps "musicalwriting" is a better term for it? Music has been with me for the longest time. My family has a long history of music, although most of us, including myself, play the best instrument known to mankind- the trombone. I have a deep connection with music and composition, and I know these and theatre find a home together. I adore musicals. I love the energy that comes with them. I love the wonders of the composition of the pit, the actors, and the dancing that goes together to amaze audiences. I have dabbled in this, simply messing around and composing on my own, but writing and directing musicals is what I want to do. I still need to hammer out the details and specifics of what college I'm going to, and what I'll major in, but I figure a dream is a good enough start. 

    I have aspirations beyond theatre, though. It's a big, bright, beautiful world with possibilities everywhere, and I'm going to explore what I can in this wonderful life of ours. Politics is another big aspiration of mine. I want to help change our country into one where everyone succeeds. My father ran for my state House of Representatives back in 2012, and that was my first taste of politics. The experience of campaigning was one I cherished dearly. Ever since, I've broadened my horizons in politics, getting involved on the state and national levels, meeting my legislators and learning more about the the political process. My theatrical aspirations won't leave me when I gain office, though. I am a great advocate for the arts, and that message would persist in my political carer. The arts communities have changed my life, and I want every child growing up to have the access to the arts. That is an important message to me, not only in the future, but also now. 



    Theatre and politics, that's what I want for my future. Neither are for me, though. Both are for the audiences I must put on a performance for. I get enough enjoyment from their satisfaction.

    Thank you for the question! As this is the final question, here's one last see ya' at festival! I'm beyond excited to finally meet all of you soon!

    ------------------------------
    John Claudy
    Pleasant Lake IN
    Troupe #7436
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-18-2017 16:42

    As I embark on my journey to adulthood the question persists, What in the heck are you going to do with your life Estee?  The combination of my drive for social justice and my passion of recreating human life on stage emerged as the perfect path for me. I have served as a Colorado State Thespian Officer for the International Thespian Society to promote arts education and funding in schools across the world. I have used my theatre skills through public speaking for events and panels that call audiences to make a positive change in their community. These skills have lead me to host the Denver Public School's Foundation Gala along side the Mayor of Denver and Governor of Colorado. I have spoken on panels for the reform of standardized testing in front of hundreds of students. The collaboration of using art to drive social change has become evident as my choice of study.

    The lessons that theatre can give to an audience causes an impulse. The impulse to have compassion. The impulse to always think about where another person is coming from. Change starts with hope; the hope that we have a power within ourselves to create or to make a positive change in our lives and the lives of others. Standing on stage looking out at the audience, I finally realize the power we have as artists. Theatre reflects raw humanity for all to see and teaches us to empathize with what makes us different. My experience's have taught me that when theatre and justice are combined, it allows the audience to see the truth in the world and act on their impulse to make the wold a better place. That is why it is why my greatest aspiration is to use theatre as a driving force in changing the world.


    OH EM GEEE I cannot wait to see you all tomorrow at festival! I have been counting down the days and I cannot believe it is finally here. So excited to meet you all! 
    XOXO-
    Estee


    ------------------------------
    Estee Dechtman
    Denver CO
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-18-2017 17:21
    The Future. Recently I've been asked to think about the future a lot: what I want to do, where I want to go, and why. With college being just around the corner, I feel like my life is more focused on the future than ever before. And I have absolutely no idea what to think. I'm torn between two paths of life, and they really couldn't be more different.

    On one hand, I love physics. Ever since I was a kid, I've been facinated by the machine that runs our lives. From quantum particles to supernovas, the absolute beauty of the universe astounds me no matter where I look. I like how there is a right answer for everything, and how with enough information we can theoretically know the mysteries of existence. But most importantly, this is a time in our history where we are on the cusp of discovering infinite new possibilities, and I want to be a part of it. I want to help make new discoveries, and push the boundaries of the human race. However, there's one problem...

    I also really love theatre. Theatre already has the ability to travel in time, create new worlds, and breathe life into characters. In one performance, you can change the world view of an entire audience. Performing is one of the most amazing feelings anyone can ever feel, and to devote one's life to it is truly a noble cause. But most important, new discoveries are made every day by both performer and audience alike. People generate new naratives, develop new perspectives, and inspire new ideas through theatre.

    So in truth, I don't know what to choose, physics or theatre. Both are incredibly important to me, and for good reason. As I've thought through this question, I've realized that the things I want to do may be completely different, but my aspirations are the same:

    I want to change the world for the better. 

    No matter whether through a new discovery in the field of theoretical physics, or an inspiration developed through theatre, I want my life to work towards a good cause. All in all I aspire to make changes in this world that made me, and I hope I show this in whatever I do this week. So thanks for listening (or reading I suppose) and I can't wait to meet you all this week!

    ------------------------------
    Elam Blackwell
    Sugar Land, TX
    Troupe #4385
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: ITO Candidates on Community: Week 3

    Posted 06-18-2017 20:42

    Hello and happy ITF eve, thespians! I am super excited to meet you guys tomorrow! The great ITO Shaila Seth has posed a question to the <g class="gr_ gr_72 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="72" data-gr-id="72">the ITO</g> candidates: What are your aspirations for the future and why?

     

    I’ve been asking myself this question my entire life. I’ve always been excited to go to college and follow a path into a career that I love! Many people’s experience with college and career planning starts sometime in the eve your junior year in high school. Mine, however, started when I was in eighth grade. Ever since then, my teachers have insisted that I begin my college search and tailor my class schedule to create a path towards a future career. Since eighth grade, I’ve changed my mind about what I’ve wanted to be when I grow older. I’ve wanted to be a dentist, astronomer, writer, actor, and many other different things.

     

    As my senior year inches closer and stares me down, I’ve narrowed down my options and finally chosen what I want my life to consist of. One of the most heartbreaking things about my decision, however, is that it doesn’t involve my participation in <g class="gr_ gr_79 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="79" data-gr-id="79">theatre</g>. Like Burr, I wanna be in the room where it happens! I’ve grown to love politics in the past years and have realized that I want to be a politician when I grow up.

     

    Many of you are probably asking yourselves why anyone would ever want to go into the cutthroat world of politics. President Obama answered this question beautifully in his book, The Audacity of Hope: “I understood the skepticism, but that there was- and always had been- another tradition to politics, a tradition based on the simple idea that we have a stake in on another, and that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and that if enough people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem but we can get something meaningful done.”

     

    I’ve always been and still am incredibly frustrated with the amount of change that I alone can produce at a national level. I’ve always wanted to help people out. I always wished to give back to my community and help the underdogs achieve happiness. Politics for me isn’t about slandering the other party, it’s about enacting change that helps people. I want to “plant seeds in a garden I’ll never get to see” for the future generations to enjoy.

     

    Because of the amazing experiences and life lessons I’ve gotten from <g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="74" data-gr-id="74">theatre</g> education, I know that as a politician, I will fight with all I’ve got to ensure that everyone gets to experience <g class="gr_ gr_75 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="75" data-gr-id="75">theatre</g>; in all it’s glory.

     

    I am super duper excited to meet all of you this week! Thank you so much for reading these posts of mine throughout these three weeks. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about me and I hope to be able to learn more about all of you soon! Please enjoy this gif of these <g class="gr_ gr_71 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="71" data-gr-id="71">doggos</g> (used to represent me going to ITF)! See you all soon!




    ------------------------------
    Oswaldo Ambrosio
    Iowa STO
    Troupe 4274
    Grinnell IA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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