Student Blog: A Letter to Some Very Special Friends

Dear cast mates,

Dear talented humans,

Dear pack of bizarre and crazy people,

Dear friends,

As I was thinking of what to write for this month, I had too many ideas. A blog about The 25th Annual Putnam County show we did, rehearsals during the pandemic, interviews with the cast, and the list goes on. I didn't know how to put all these ideas into words, yet I knew that I would be writing about you guys.

I write to you this letter to show my love and admiration for each and everyone of you. As I am about to graduate while most of you are in the beginning of your college journey, I wish to tell you the impact you had on me.

I didn't know that in October my life would change. This might sound drastic, but it's true. When we met that day in October, most of you guys might have thought that I was the different one, the one who was more reserved, the one who is kind but wouldn't be a part of the inside jokes, the late night talks, sleepovers, or random hangouts. But with some kind of miracle, I was. The moment I knew I would take on the role as a production and director assistant, I knew there could be two outcomes:

1. I would be the girl who helps out in every rehearsal and kindly says goodbye at the end.

2. I would be part of the group.

To be honest, I was terrified that number one would happen. But I pushed myself and here we are. So I want to say thank you to every single one of you in the cast: Alayo, Juan, Barbara, Andrés, Alex, Emi, Nat, Sofi, Angie, María, and Mario André. And of course the biggest thanks to Andy and Anna in the production and direction team for helping me out with guidance, trust, and friendship.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your talent. You guys are so hardworking and consistent. You are always looking to better yourself and your characters. You are always trying to explore a different side of your character pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Due to the pandemic, only 50% of the venue seats could be used, which is a bummer because I wish the whole world knew how much talent there is in this cast. Your voices are powerful and meaningful. They make change happen in an instance. Your voices make people feel. There are many talented actors in the world, but there are very few like you guys. One of a kind, genuine, special.

As I continued to get to know you guys, I knew you were crazy. You never missed a beat. All the jokes, all the laughs, all of the comedic timings were impeccable. I laugh with everything you guys say, even when I don't understand your jokes. I will always cherish those small moments when you guys impersonated different characters such as la familia Madrigal, jocks, famous singers, etc. The laughs never failed to come out.

Now, it's time for the truth, I have one more semester. A semester in which we might be close or a little more distant to what we have. So when I look back to all the moments, I can't help it but cry. I didn't realize it till now, but you guys are the friends I would've wished to have known in my first year of college. I had a rocky beginning but now, because of you, I have a solid ending. When I see each one of you, I see how you guys made an impact on me. I will forever cherish the carne asadas that were in my house, even though the meat was burnt. Or the day we watched Rent and had a karaoke night (#losputnams). I will always preserve Superbowl day even though you guys could care less about the Superbowl. I will forever treasure never making up our minds of where to go to eat and going to Manhattan's even when we knew we would be sitting at separate tables. I will always hold dearly our posada even though half of the company members didn't come and I was nervous there wouldn't be enough food. I will look back and laugh at the days we played charades. And I will foster every moment we have together. I hate staying up late at night, but for you guys I will stay up till 4 am to keep on our constant talks (even when they get weird or deep).

So to finish this letter off. I thank you for being you and I thank you for accepting me.

I love you all so dearly.

Sincerely,

Mariana Elosúa