Reflections

I love seeing plays. I would be lying if I said that watching plays isn't my favourite pass time. Tonight I went to go see my old highschool's play, "More Than Meets the Eye." It was brilliant. I would say great job to all those involved, but if I do think hard enough, none of them even have a blog. Regardless, great job. I think it brings back a huge sense of nostalgia for me. It just reminded me of my first time being onstage in highschool, where I realized,"Yes, I love theatre. Yes, I am going to turn into a drama kid. And yes, God is pulling me to where he might need me to be."

The first huge show I was in is called, "Godspell." I performed it when I was in grade 10, so that was about... four years ago. I can't recall, and it's hard to do the math late at night. Despite that fect, it was this experience that told me that I was a drama kid. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it would lead me down a different path, go to Redeemer and take theatre there. I am not complaining.

I think it's because the play was so centered on God and Christ's call for us. I don't care if I'm terrible or if I'm good, but if I'm feeling like I'm hearing God's voice... I think it's a good choice to head into theatre. What I'm going to do with it, I'm still not sure. I don't want to be an actor who strays from God. I don't want to be an actor who thirsts on fame and glory. So I thought, what if I became a drama teacher? That might be fun. It's still in limbo, and I'm waiting for God to steer me in the rigth direction.

The first time I came to Redeemer, I came for a Campus Visit day. I was there for the night, and it was special because it was Coffee House. There I met a few important people that have influenced me in many ways: Kevin Lobert, Nikki VanEyk, Chelsea Wagner and Noah Hicks (inadvertedly... I more-or-less saw him onstage. I never met him until the first week of school). Realize that two of those four very important people were theatre majors. Nevertheless, I was still rather skeptical and upon being accepted at Brock, I was absolutely sure and strung to go to a public school. Why was I so sure? Because of the lame excuse to "get into the world and out of the private system."

The second time I came to Redeemer, I went to see the play, "NZR." This night, I got in a fight with both my mom and dad, and my mom and I hardly talked on the way there. I was invited by Melissa, who is now not only a "visit the highschool" woman, she is my friend. I saw the auditorium once or twice before hand, and of course I was impressed. Compared to be my highschool stage, the Redeemer Aud. seemed like the Festival Theatre or the Avon Theatre at Stratford. I sat down in the front row, and noticed that not many people were there. It was closing night. A woman with blonde hair (who I learned is named Jody) was sitting near to the front with a camera in her hand. When the lights lowers, out came many people which introduce another set of important characters in my life: Melissa Veroen, Ryan Sero and Laura Stewart (who would later become known as L-Stew, Mama Stew, Auntie Shnapps, etc, etc.). Once again, these were the people that I met during my first week of school (give or take a few extra days).

I know the play wasn't really a big deal, but it moved me. It brought me back to my Godspell years (even though they were only three years before) and how God had reminded me that he was pulling me where I needed to go. I cried that night, not because of the music but because, yes, I had a huge fight with my dad and had a huge with my mom in the car. I walked in totally unassuming, and I came out thinking that I was changed.

The most exciting thing for me, personally, was as we were driving home in remote silence (after apologizing) I heard something, felt something deep within me. I felt God's presence in that Auditorium, and I felt God's presence as I left and I knew that he was taking me somewhere special, and he was leading me down the road of a theatre kid, a drama geek, an outgoing maniac with a super loud laugh, just to serve Him.