Our journey has just started and there is already so much to unpack…
Both literally and metaphorically. The 2023-24 Apprentice class has arrived over the last month, and the sheer excitement can be felt all around. We had the pleasure of attending Shakespeare Theatre Center’s production of Evita on October 4th as part of our first educational engagement activity. This is just one of the many educational offerings available to the apprentice class at Olney Theatre Center. And I can tell you, coming off of witnessing this live theatre production that showed off the hard work of multiple arts disciplines, the passion of young theatre makers is present here at Olney!
From discussions that started before the curtain dropped, all the way along the 30-minute metro home, and even spanned until the wee hours of the night, I have never been so overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and awareness of young artists. Yes, I have experienced similar feelings before (after all, I went to a liberal arts college), but nothing of this magnitude as the apprentices dissected every aspect of Evita by Shakespeare Theatre Center with the ultimate goal of seeking further understanding. Further understanding of the show’s artistic choices, the story, the sequencing of songs, and each of these decisions’ impacts, on Eva’s life as well as our own. Oh, what we would give to sit down with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to pick their brains!
All of this just to say, “All Hail Live Theatre!” As cheesy as it sounds, it is magic. Magic for people like us. The people who come from different artistic positions but are always thinking about the combined efforts that go into a breathtaking show. Possibly the only one’s appreciating the hustle of the crew below deck interchanging the trap door a million times throughout the show. (If you saw Evita, you’ll know what I mean.) It’s the feeling of knowing that you are a part of something bigger than yourself and that you possess the power to enact change and inspire. When all 13 apprentices immediately gave a standing ovation at curtain call, I felt it surround us. All 13 of us who come from contrasting disciplines with something to say and are ready to hold space for one another. We are proud to be defined as the future generation of theatre makers, and we can’t wait to make our stamp on the world through live theatre.
