Trying to be back…

 

Getting back into the swing of the school year is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It’s my second year serving at my school, so I anticipated that things would be a little easier.

And in some ways, things are a little easier, which is nice. I’m more comfortable with the school environment. I’m more confident tutoring the students, despite the subject.

However, in many ways, things aren’t any easier. There are always students in my classroom, which I love, but sometimes I feel like I’m running a question-answering marathon. It’s exhausting to switch back and forth rapidly between subjects. I barely get a breath between answering a trig question and an Algebra 1 question. Fortunately, some students are getting help from my coworker, slowly but surely, and the pressure is slowly being lifted.

The end of the day comes quickly, and I’m always grateful for it. It’s nice to get out of the classroom and walk the streets of New York (which are no longer echoing with the voices of Newsies). Sometimes, I walk to the further train station, enjoying a few extra precious minutes outside before clambering back underground.

The ride home on the train is tough…no one wants to wait an hour before they can get home. One day, I hope I can apparate…but I’m just a Muggle, so it will never happen. I settle in with a book or “Newsies Got Swag” (I’ve just about got the rap down! I have to double-check a couple of lyrics with Bres, but I’m close!).

By the time I get home, I hopefully have a few minutes to sit and do nothing before community prayer and dinner start, and then its time to clean up and get ready for bed.

When night comes, and it’s time to lay down my head, I toss and turn. As grateful for the end of the day as I am, I’m excited to get back to work and to serve my students.

 

Farewell NYC, See Ya in 18 Days!

Today is tragically sad and awesomely happy. Today is the day I leave NYC, hence the tragically sad. Today is also the day I go back to California to visit family and friends before heading to Chicago for Orientation, which makes it awesome.

Over the past several months of living in NYC, I have realized that I really like it here. I REALLY LIKE IT. I sort of knew that I would, but I was still surprised at how much happier I am in big city NYC. Now, I do have, as Jack Kelly (always have to have a Newsies reference) says, a big strong door to lock it out. But I think I’d even like it if I didn’t and struggled more. NYC has so much life, and so much diversity. There’s always something going on, and I never really feel bored except when I make myself stay home and get chores done. And then I’m bored because I’m all worn out from doing stuff all day that I don’t have the energy to leave at night. Also, the 1 hour+ subway ride is far from fun late at night.

I love the theatre district (aka Times Square). I love the 86th street, Lexington Ave area. I love Central Park. I love the East Village and Greenwich Village. I love Hell’s Kitchen. New York is filled with all of these wonderful things that I like.

NYC has Schmackary’s, aka the best cookies in the world despite my student’s claims that Insomnia has the best cookies. Schmakary’s is delicious and not too expensive. They have cookies and cream cookies. They have ice cold milk. They make ice cream sandwiches out of the cookies right in front of you if you want one.

NYC also has Newsies The Musical on Broadway. And I can go see the show whenever I want for a mere $30. Even if Newsies were to go on tour, that wouldn’t be the case anywhere else in the world. Now, most of you probably understand the importance of Newsies being in NYC for me. I’ve been waiting for this musical ALL MY LIFE. I loved the movie, and dreamed of the day it would finally be on stage. I move out to NYC for my volunteer program, and suddenly it is. My dreams are coming true. I love every single cast member in this show. Anytime I try to figure out who my favorites are, I suddenly end up with a list in alphabetical order of some 36 different people (there are 36 people in the cast). I love seeing the show no matter who’s on. I get excited when I get to see Jack Scott and Michael Fatica go on. I hope I will one day be able to see Caitlyn Caughell go on. I regret that I never got to see Maddy Trumble go on. Basically, Newsies is a happy place for me. I get days of happiness out of a few hours in the theatre.

NYC has lots of delicious ethnic food, and I can go try it whenever I want. Sometimes its hard to find someone to go with me, but I love that the option is there.

I love that I can go to Central Park and wander around for hours or sit and watch softball.

I love NYC.

Sometimes, I miss home. I miss small-town Petaluma, CA. I miss my sisters. I miss my parents. I miss my grandparent I miss my aunts, my uncles, my cousins. Sometimes, I miss college. I miss smaller Moraga, CA. I miss my friends. I miss my professors. I miss my jobs. I miss my classes. I miss the campus. But I don’t want to go back to either of these places forever. Not that I want to stay in NYC forever, either. I don’t know about that yet. But what I do know is that as much as I love my family, and as muchas I enjoyed my college experience, I’ve moved on for now. I definitely want to go back and visit them. I want to spend time with them, and remember my college experiences, but I’m not the person I was when I left California a year ago. A lot has changed. I’ve had some pretty crazy experiences. I’ve grown a lot. I’ve developed different ideas and passions.

So leaving NYC is sad for me. At the same time, it’s exciting because I get to go home and visit with everyone and tell them all about my life, which for sure makes them really happy. But when I leave NYC, I leave a little part of my heart here, in this big city that never sleeps, with the intention of coming back for it at some point.

This time, I’ll be back in 18 days. Yes. I started my countdown before I even left the city. I’ve been watching for a few weeks how long it would be until I’d be back in NYC. That’s how much I love it here. That’s how happy I am here, and that’s why leaving is such sweet sorrow.

Until then, NYC will be down one small person, and probably won’t even notice. But that’s okay, because I’ve got at least another year to make a real name for myself here, and I want it to be a good one.

So, NYC, I bid you adieux!

 

Related articles

• My Volunteer Story (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• My Newsies Gift! (aka the most exciting night of my life) (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Newsies and The TRL Generation: Broadway Sings the 90s (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Two Broadway Show Day (Phantom & Newsies) (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)
• Brendon Stimson Is Jack Kelly (stephanieisms.wordpress.com)

To Stage Door or Not to Stage Door – BroadwaySpotted

I think this is a great article to read. You really get some insight into actor’s lives and to why they do come to the stage door.

Personally, I love it when they do. I try to go to the stage door after every show. Sometimes, I get tons of signatures. Sometimes, like my first time at How to Succeed, I only get two or three (but I DID get Beau Bridges and Taylor Frey so I was an EXTREMELY happy camper).

I don’t mind not getting signatures of big name people. The ones that I really try to get belong to the ensemble for most shows, because I know that without them, the show would not be as amazing as it is. I try really hard to know what their names are (I’m usually flipping to the back of my playbill while I’m waiting for someone to come out so that I can recognize them right away), and I might call out, “Hey, so-and-so, can I get your autograph?”

If they come up to sign, I thank them for doing a great job. Even if a show wasn’t my favorite, you can tell how hard all of the actors work in the show, and they always do a great job. If there was a particular thing that I liked, I try to tell the actor. Giving them more positive reinforcement might just make their day a little brighter, and that’s what matters. They just gave so much to me over the last 2+ hours, a little appreciation is the least I could do.

If they don’t come sign, I shrug it off. They probably need to do some real-people thing like catch the subway or bus, or get home. Or maybe they feel sick, or don’t think they did well. I don’t know, but I’m not going to blame them. They are real people too. I wouldn’t want people to treat me that way, so I won’t treat them that way.

I think Stage Door-ing is an important part of the live theater experience, but getting signatures and pictures is not always vital. Just getting to see the people (even those in the orchestra below the stage) walk out is an exciting thing. For me, these people have exciting lives compared to what I do day in and day out. I perceive it as amazing and glamorous, so I like to catch a glimpse of them out of costume. But I never want them to feel like I’m hounding them. Sometimes, I come on a little too strong at the Stage Door (see: EVERY time at Newsies – my apologies to the cast, I’m so sorry. I will try to be better, but I can’t help it. I really appreciate all of you so much, and I get excited when I see you. I’ll try to tone it down a little next time), and I have to remind myself to back off a little. Really, this only happens at Newsies.

The actors in these shows really are all amazing, and we need to reach out and show them a little respect. They are people just like us. Just with really awesome jobs where they get to pretend to be someone else for 2+ hours a night.

So my final opinion is Stage-Dooring is a do, but you have to be respectful of the actors.

See what BroadwaySpotted had to say: To Stage Door or Not to Stage Door – BroadwaySpotted : BroadwaySpotted.