BWW Blog: Hannah Love - Summer of Studying, Sweating, and Singing

Summer is officially over for me, and I'm immersed into the school year again. I'm already working on a school production of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and my classes are already piling on the homework, tests, and projects. Somehow, I'm not fazed by this mass chaos. It probably is related to the fact that I did not take a break this summer. Summer classes filled my summer until the second week of July (don't worry, I took these classes to lighten my junior year), babysitting was a routine job for me, and I was in a production of Shrek the Musical at a local community theatre.

Rehearsals consisted of Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I felt like I was constantly busy, but that did not bother me at all. As theatre consumes my life, it keeps giving me purpose to do more with the time that I have. Before rehearsals, I kept focused on schoolwork and how it would better my academic year ahead. At rehearsals, I enveloped myself into the show and the scenes at hand. After, funny moments from that night and laughs I shared with my cast mates were all I thought about. I went into this show knowing almost no one except the director and a friend from school. It's nerve-wracking doing a show with people you have never even met. I kept to myself for the first few rehearsals. Soon, other people came up to me and started conversations. They invited me to lunch or talked to me during breaks. Choreography days became lighthearted, and it made me remember how much I missed community theatre. Of course it's fun working with your friends that you see every day, but I may never do another show again with my Shrek cast; however, I know I will see them onstage and vice versa. Friends from shows do not just come and go. These people impacted my life, and I'm so blessed I got the opportunity to work with such passionate, fun people. Maggie would always tease me for being goofy, but it was all with a good heart. Jeannie and Kailey always hung out with me in the dressing rooms between scenes and shared favorite show tunes and stories. I loved watching the Fairy Tale Creatures perform Freak Flag and Story of my Life. The facials and characterization they brought to each of their roles was something to look forward to watching. Singing the Finale every night, regardless of an audience or not, took my breath away and filled me with excitement. You really do not know how much it is to perform in this show unless you experience it yourself. The message it carries to always be yourself and not look at outer beauty to judge someone emphasizes the fact that everyone is so different in this world. We have different skin colors, different hair color, different voices, and so many other traits; it makes us unique. Shrek ranged in age and personalities, and I learned so much from them. I learned a lot about myself, and I improved as a performer.

Some people like to take a break from theatre over the summer in high school. They like to take those two months and relax. I do not have a problem with that. I love to take vacations and travel just like everyone else. On the other hand, staying at home is just as good. Rehearsals became my main motive to leave home, and socializing with cast mates was my main interactions. Academics are not my most favorite thing in the world. No one really wants to take summer classes, but taking them made me more motivated and hard-working. I got up at a decent time on weekdays and went to bed exhausted from productive rehearsals. Being productive is something I like. Doing something with my life (like theatre) reminds me that being alive is not enough sometimes. You have to want to live for something. God, family, friends, and theatre have made me the person I am, and my summer proved to be perfect.

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