In my 45 years on this planet, I’ve had quite a few jobs. I’ve been a Little League umpire, I’ve filed medical forms for a private physical therapy practice, I’ve provided music for an American Girls runway pageant, and sold knives door to door.
Through all of these varied jobs, I’ve gotten reviews, feedback, encouragement and disappointment. I’ve felt like I’ve learned something from each, shaping the person I am today and more importantly, how I approach The Studio.
One such review from a place of employment (which I wasn’t a great fit for) told me, “It seems as though you make things up as you go – you have a kind of ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ attitude.”
What they meant as a horrible character flaw I took as one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten. Fly by the seat of my pants? Heck, yeah!
Basically all of 2020 was ‘flying by the seat of our pants.’ And oh, by the way, the pants were the wrong size. And had a huge hole in the rear. And were on fire.
I’m proud to be, as Courtney calls people who don’t plot out books before they write them, a ‘pantser.’ It’s this trait that I believe helped The Studio survive the worst blight on creativity and the arts since Twilight appeared in theaters on November 21, 2008.
Ahhh...who remembers theaters?
With all of the uncertainty, all of the closures, the disappointments and postponements, these past 12 months have proved to be one of the most challenging not only for us, but literally everyone we knew. 2020, for a lot of people, is gladly relegated to the rearview mirror.
In the midst of the quaggy morass that was last year, there was one bright spot that operated as a kind of creative oasis.
Dear Edwina JR.
With masks, a convoluted rehearsal schedule, no audience and a slog filming schedule, these kids still had fun. They made us laugh. Hard. They sang loud. They messed up choreography until they got it right. They stepped up and did the work. It was, honestly, a thing to behold.
A huge thanks goes out to these kids, who by all accounts, could’ve hung it up in August and stayed depressed in their rooms, Zoom’d out and addled with screen fatigue.
While Edwina may live on your screen tonight, and there’s a missing buzzy energy without an audience, see these kids for the job they’ve done and the hope they represent – that soon we’ll all be able to go back to a time when we could, you know, go outside, hang with friends, and put on a show on the front lawn for the neighborhood kids to watch.
You know, a time like March 2019. ☺
From all of us at The Studio – we thank you for supporting us and the arts, and we sincerely hope you enjoy the show!
Adam, Courtney, Chelsea, Angela, Mariah, and the entire Studio Team
