There is a binder in my room that I would go back in for if my apartment was going up in flames. Within it is a drawing of the characters from [INSERT future HERE], my copy of the script, a photo of everyone involved, a program of the show, and handwritten notes from everyone in the cast, in the crew, and one from each adult advisor who helped me and the other writers along the way. All of which was put together by them. Five binders were made, one for each director-playwright of the new musical. Every time I look at those notes, I think of them. Every time I look at the program, I think of the audience. I think of the people who came up to me crying after it ended, saying how much they felt understood. And I think of the people I knew a bit before they graduated, coming up to me saying they got the closure they didn't know they needed from the characters sharing the melancholy that is losing a transition in life you had long thought was a given. Every time I see the front of the script, I see everything I've poured my heart into, culminating into the best thing I had ever dreamed of--community and the inspiration to create more with the people you surround yourself with. Even more so, working in community theater gives back more than just a performance. People I wouldn't normally see on a daily or weekly basis I get to bond with over doing a limited run show together. When would I, a regular student, be in regular conversation and work with an insurance agent or a real estate agent or a field engineer in a position outside of their day jobs? Their experiences and advice about school and life and careers instilled importance of coming back to working in the community whenever I can. They came back to to this world out of passion and love. People go out of their way to put on performances for free because they love the art. People go to see a show almost at a level equal to regional theaters for half of the price and people can participate in them for free. Theater accessibility is important to me, so I want to be able to bring that back to my community and continue this at college. In the long run, I want to start a theater company that travels to lower income areas, making original works accessible as well as theater favorites. Generations of people should be able to be inspired by theater and have a community that they can be a part of without worrying about being able to afford it. Leading up to this theater company, I still aim to gain as much experience in theater and later film and television in all production positions. Stage management is the position I believe I am most capable and enjoy working in because I get to be there throughout the whole life of the production. Why is it worth it to toil over a spreadsheet for hours just so someone knows when and where to place a chair? Why would someone want to sit in a booth and talk for hours on end, timing cue after cue every day? I want to keep making shows into performances worth seeing since all I've ever wanted to see is the magic of a show run night after night.

There is a binder in my room that I would go back in for if my apartment was going up in flames. Within it is a drawing of the characters from [INSERT future HERE], my copy of the script, a photo of everyone involved, a program of the show, and handwritten notes from everyone in the cast, in the crew, and one from each adult advisor who helped me and the other writers along the way. All of which was put together by them. Five binders were made, one for each director-playwright of the new musical. Every time I look at those notes, I think of them. Every time I look at the program, I think of the audience. I think of the people who came up to me crying after it ended, saying how much they felt understood. And I think of the people I knew a bit before they graduated, coming up to me saying they got the closure they didn't know they needed from the characters sharing the melancholy that is losing a transition in life you had long thought was a given. Every time I see the front of the script, I see everything I've poured my heart into, culminating into the best thing I had ever dreamed of--community and the inspiration to create more with the people you surround yourself with. Even more so, working in community theater gives back more than just a performance. People I wouldn't normally see on a daily or weekly basis I get to bond with over doing a limited run show together. When would I, a regular student, be in regular conversation and work with an insurance agent or a real estate agent or a field engineer in a position outside of their day jobs? Their experiences and advice about school and life and careers instilled importance of coming back to working in the community whenever I can. They came back to to this world out of passion and love. People go out of their way to put on performances for free because they love the art. People go to see a show almost at a level equal to regional theaters for half of the price and people can participate in them for free. Theater accessibility is important to me, so I want to be able to bring that back to my community and continue this at college. In the long run, I want to start a theater company that travels to lower income areas, making original works accessible as well as theater favorites. Generations of people should be able to be inspired by theater and have a community that they can be a part of without worrying about being able to afford it. Leading up to this theater company, I still aim to gain as much experience in theater and later film and television in all production positions. Stage management is the position I believe I am most capable and enjoy working in because I get to be there throughout the whole life of the production. Why is it worth it to toil over a spreadsheet for hours just so someone knows when and where to place a chair? Why would someone want to sit in a booth and talk for hours on end, timing cue after cue every day? I've always had the desire to make a show into a performance worth seeing and being on the stage was never the goal for me when all I've ever wanted to see the magic of a show run night after night.

Why is it worth it to toil over a spreadsheet for hours just so someone knows when and where to place a chair? Why would someone want to sit in a booth and talk for hours on end, timing cue after cue every day? As a stage manager, I've always had the desire to make a show into a performance worth seeing. Doing more theater in university requires commitment to shows but at the cost of not being paid for any of it. Devoting most of my time here to earn money isn't the point of education for me. Who knows what else I could create here with a little bit more support? Ideally, I'd want emotions here that are like growing pains for me because I'll know what lesson I learned from each. I'll cry from homesickness and eventually walk in excited for the next lecture or seminar or workshop. The joy I get from digging deeper into a subject I hope will never fade, maybe expanded on by the classes I take. I'll look fondly back at the people I met then and know that I'm still in contact with them. But those are just memories. Going to university means that I developed my skills there and connected with enough people to have my work and ethic be known. All of the designs and shows that have gone through trial and error to emerge refined and running well because of my guidance. To be put on a stage for thousands to see and enjoy and connect to, as I had done so growing up. If I find one person in the audience who I can see myself in, I think that's when the tears would come from everyone else; I know at least someone understands it. Majoring in Drama, I plan to apply for a research program and get a grant to to explore first what it takes to develop and stage an original work in university. Research I've found can come from collaborating on a completely new piece, from drafting the script, to workshopping the staging, to running it for an official audience. What new concepts could be The shows that come to UCI have already been frozen for licensing, not allowed to make line changes, but with an original work, I wonder how much could be free to mold and shape however we wanted. Many student productions have eventually made their way to Broadway, starting from whatever little space they claimed on campus. In the long run, I want to start a theater company that travels to lower income areas, making original experimental works accessible as well as theater favorites. Generations of people should be able to be inspired by theater and have a community that they can be a part of without worrying about being able to afford it. Leading up to this theater company, I still aim to gain as much experience in theater and later film and television in all production positions. Stage management is the position I believe I am most capable and enjoy working in because I get to be there throughout the whole life of the production, but other areas of design are things I want to explore while in university. Being well-rounded in an industry with so many specialized roles is a skill needed for me because I want to be knowledgeable for the people I collaborate with. My passion and dedication to my craft has taken me this far, so it's now a matter of how not if I get to the next milestone.

Why is it worth it to toil over a spreadsheet for hours just so someone knows when and where to place a chair? Why would someone want to sit in a booth and talk for hours on end, timing cue after cue every day? As a stage manager, I've always had the desire to make a show into a performance worth seeing. At first I thought I was just doing my job, but I came to realize that not everyone liked the chaos and organizing all of the production elements together. Somehow, by just being me and wanting everyone to be proud and passionate about a story we were making together, people respected my voice and direction. I was the person with the answers to their questions, which daunting at first, I found a rhythm and groove in. I was in charge of assigning technical positions and regularly conversed with my director about every aspect of the show to smooth out details. For the cast, they came up to me with concerns or just about their day because they were comfortable enough to approach me. I made sure people were safe, healthy, and knew what, when, and where they were doing what they needed. Spreadsheets were a familiar sight for me as I kept putting together the puzzle of the master cue sheet and prompt book. The sheer amount of emails and folders containing spreadsheets soon became soothing to see the work pay off, as I pair each Daily Call and Rehearsal Report to the corresponding email. The farther we got into the show, the more I decisive I had to be to bring the show together. Clarity over roles were established, some stage cues were gone or shifted, traffic patterns in the wings were made, and my stage manager toolkit grew. I have a lot of pride in the amount of stage tape I've acquired. From gaffers to spike to glow to vinyl tape, it was there. Eventually, I would like my efforts to be paid for, but all of the community theater work I've done so far has paid me immensely in experience. Never would I expect to handle more Covid cases four years post-pandemic during a tech week into shows or adjusting to only working with half the lights we normally have on opening, but along the way, I loved embracing each change as they were thrown at me. Unpredictability in theater is something I'll always face, but at least I'll have a backup plan and my master list of all the little pieces of the show to help me. Logistics of the stage are my strong suit now, knowing exactly how to tackle bring a show or event to life. Some say it's a thankless job, an unseen one when at its best, but I've never minded. Being on the stage was not the goal when all I've ever wanted to see the magic of a show run night after night. And each night, that stagehand will know where to place the chair.

Why is it worth it to toil over a spreadsheet for hours just so someone knows when and where to place a chair? Why would someone want to sit in a booth and talk for hours on end, timing cue after cue every day? As a stage manager, I've always had the desire to make a show into a performance worth seeing. At first I thought I was just doing my job, but I came to realize that not everyone liked the chaos and organizing all of the production elements together. Somehow, by just being me and wanting everyone to be proud and passionate about a story we were making together, people respected my voice and direction. I was the person with the answers to their questions, which daunting at first, I found a rhythm and groove in. I was in charge of assigning technical positions and regularly conversed with my director about every aspect of the show to smooth out details. For the cast, they came up to me with concerns or just about their day because they were comfortable enough to approach me. I made sure people were safe, healthy, and knew what, when, and where they were doing what they needed. Spreadsheets were a familiar sight for me as I kept putting together the puzzle of the master cue sheet and prompt book. The sheer amount of emails and folders containing spreadsheets soon became soothing to see the work pay off, as I pair each Daily Call and Rehearsal Report to the corresponding email. The farther we got into the show, the more I decisive I had to be to bring the show together. Clarity over roles were established, some stage cues were gone or shifted, traffic patterns in the wings were made, and my stage manager toolkit grew. I have a lot of pride in the amount of stage tape I've acquired. From gaffers to spike to glow to vinyl tape, it was there. Eventually, I would like my efforts to be paid for, but all of the community theater work I've done so far has paid me immensely in experience. Never would I expect to handle more Covid cases four years post-pandemic during a tech week into shows or adjusting to only working with half the lights we normally have on opening, but along the way, I loved embracing each change as they were thrown at me. Unpredictability in theater is something I'll always face, but at least I'll have a backup plan and my master list of all the little pieces of the show to help me. Logistics of the stage are my strong suit now, knowing exactly how to tackle bring a show or event to life. Some say it's a thankless job, an unseen one when at its best, but I've never minded. Being on the stage was not the goal when all I've ever wanted to see the magic of a show run night after night.