Day 1598: Hamilton

When I was first debating audition for the Knights on Broadway, I was neck deep in lyrics from the hit musical Hamilton. I'd spent a good portion of the summer making an attempt to learn every last word in My Shot, had a good handle on The Schuyler Sisters, was currently obsessed with Burn and was just beginning to aquatint myself with Guns and Ships, not to mention the numerous other numbers in the show. In fact, My Shot became one of the two songs that got me through auditions, as I distinctly remember listening to it on repeat alongside I Have Confidence from The Sound of Music as I got ready for and headed to callbacks. As we opened our Christmas show, it was My Shot that played in the opening video, Alexander Hamilton that we performed on stage, and Hamilton: An American Musical that provided the basis for the backstory to our show. All in all, one could say that Hamilton provided me with the encouragement to not throw away my own shot, and it brought me right back into the world of Broadway that I'd sort of lost in the years previous. 

So when the idea of surprising Megan with tickets to see the Chicago production just wouldn't leave me alone, I sought out some balcony seats for a performance in May and prepared myself for the long months of waiting ahead. The worst part about waiting though? Not telling Megan. In fact, all of Knights on Broadway knew about the surprise and our director almost let the secret slip at one of our Christmas performances, but somehow I managed to keep things under wraps until Christmas Day, and needless to say, she loved the surprise.

When our chance to be in the room where it happens finally came around, it was absolutely one of the most surreal experiences of my life. In fact, the closest feeling I can compare it to was when we visited Great Sand Sand Dunes National Park last July, when even as we drove away, it still didn't feel real. Seeing a show like Hamilton is an experience in itself, in more ways than one, and something tells me it's not an experience I'll be able to replicate anytime soon. 

First and foremost, Hamilton is an award winning show...one of the biggest actually. It won a near record number of Tony Awards in 2016, and has jumped to the top of the National Stage faster than most shows of its kind (who remembers 1776?!?). Hamilton has gained a dedicated fanbase, has impacted the way our population looks at musicals, and may just be one of the most important musicals of all time. When you see a production like that, it's incredibly inspiring. 

Second, for someone like me, who has a very real personal connection to the show (how many people get to say they've had an opportunity to perform part of the show), it was incredible to see it come to life for real in front of my own eyes. There's something strange about forcing yourself to stop from singing the lyrics because you're so used to performing them (whether that be on the stage or in your car), and when you finally get to see a musical that you've loved for so long and has impacted you so much, the feeling is indescribable. 

Hamilton is a musical for a new generation of Broadway Fans and Musical Lovers alike, and combines so much of what we've learned in the many years of Broadway with the identities of our country and world. It brings what we thought we knew about history into new light, and tells the story of those history overlooks. And above all else, Hamilton has inspired us to not throw away our shot, whatever that chance or opportunity might be. It sort of reminds me of the way Disney has consistently taught us to keep dreaming and moving forward, encouraging us to make the most of every door that opens to us, which is probably why Lin Manuel-Miranda fits in perfectly with Disney Legends we've been adoring for years (check out his work in Moana and the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns). 

If you haven't had a chance to see Hamilton, it's now playing in three cities across the United States - New York, Chicago, and San Francisco - and will soon open a production in London as well as a touring company throughout the country! Tickets aren't necessarily cheap due to popularity, but trust me when I tell you that it's worth every penny...or ten dollar bill, if you get my drift. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1450: KOB

Yep, that's me you see in the above picture, and yes, I'm singing. Honestly I don't think I believe it yet either, even though I just completed my first ever six show run with the St. Norbert College Knights on Broadway. 

A year ago, almost to the day (December 2015 was a big month for me in the change and important life event department), I became the newest KOGroupie. Before last year's show, I was sort of in a bad place. With emotions running high from roommate difficulties, I'd spent the week studying for finals and commuting to school, and by Friday I really needed a break. Earlier that day, one of the members of KOB happened to instruct me on exactly where to sit for the show that night. I did as he told me, and part way through the show it led to a (not-so) spontaneous dance that literally made my entire week so much better. For those couple of minutes, I forgot all about my roommates and the problems we'd been having, and I was happier than I'd been in quite some time. I left that show wanting to see more, and went from the average fan of Knights on Broadway to their biggest fan. 

My love of the student group only grew in the following months, all leading up to August when I was watching The Sound of Music in my living room and decided that maybe I wanted to audition for the group. After all, audition information had just been posted, and I had a few weeks to really figure things out. After talking it over with a few of my friends, I ended up going in and talking to the director and soon found myself the newest member of Knights on Broadway (after an audition and callbacks, of course). 

The rest is a story from another blog post, but now that we've ended our Christmas show, I'm so thankful I decided to audition. It was a huge step for me, especially considering the fact that I haven't really been in a vocal group since middle school. My singing has extended little beyond my car and my church for the past 8 years, so this was all entirely new for me. 

But I loved every last second of it. Over the past year, I've struggled with finding where I belong. My friends have changed more than a few times, I've moved several times, traveled all over the country, and gotten drastically behind in blog posts and YouTube videos, but as I was singing a mash up of "Silent Night," "O Holy Night," and "Hallelujah" with KOB this past weekend, I finally felt like I belong. These people don't force me to be anything I'm not, and quite honestly, I've never been more confident in who I am. I've found a new familiarity with the stage that I've never had before, was reminded why I love music so much, was encouraged to look past obstacles and pursue what I really want, and found myself a part of a new family that I wouldn't trade for anything. 

Auditioning for Knights on Broadway is absolutely, without a doubt in my mind, the best thing I've ever done in college. I've never felt more at home, and I honestly don't think I've ever been happier. This group, which I once thought I'd never be a part of in my wildest dreams, has given me more than I could ever ask for, and I can't wait for the new adventures we'll have in the spring. 

Which, may I add, includes a little trip to Florida, and perhaps, a dash of Disney. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1340: Take a Chance

I originally wrote this for The Odyssey Online, but I thought it would be important to share here as well, largely because Everyday Disney has been a crucial part of my journey through college, and it's been here that I've learned that taking risks can sometimes lead to the best parts of your life. 

It's barely a week into my senior year at SNC and something in the air feels different. 

Yes, many of my professors have changed, my on-campus job has left me more than a bit frazzled as we adjust to endless changes in the department I work for and the friends I had a year ago are now absolute strangers, but that's not what I'm talking about, at least not entirely. As I look back on memories from a year ago, when I thought for sure that I had my life together, I realize that I'm not the same person I was back then. Not by a long shot. 

Backstory time. Way back in middle school, I quit choir because of a grading situation that left kids in band and choir with lower grades than those just in choir. I loved singing, and I still love singing, but I couldn't let my GPA suffer, and since the day I walked out of the choir room, the amount I've sung for others consists of anyone who has spent more than a few hours with me in a car and the extremely forgiving ears of my church congregation. 

Fast forward to college, where I have almost religiously attended performances by a vocal group called Knights on Broadway. It's a select group of college singers from all over campus that come together to perform Broadway songs old and new, and since the first time I saw them sing, I've been in awe. By the end of my junior year, I was occasionally referred to as the KOB Groupie, a title I wore with pride. 

Which brings us to two weeks ago, when I watched The Sound of Music for what seems like the 400th time and realized that maybe, just maybe, I could audition for Knights on Broadway. A couple of days later, I found myself in the office of the group's director, gathering all my courage to mention that I was considering auditioning for the group. 

I ended up making it to callbacks. 

Now, I'm sitting in my small apartment overwhelmed as what I just did starts to set in. I auditioned for Knights on Broadway. This is absolutely something I would have never thought of doing a year ago, and while, yes, I was more terrified walking up on that stage than the time I watched Psycho alone in an empty house, it was so incredibly worth it. 

I'm still not sure exactly what it was that inspired me to even think of auditioning, and I won't know for a few days if I got in, but taking chances like this has made me realize that I should be making the most of the doors that are still open to me. I may be a senior, and taking risks is always frightening, but what kinds of wonderful experiences am I letting pass me by? 

So I'm taking a vow this school year to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. No matter how terrifying or impossible it seems, these are experiences I'll never have again, and I want to make the most of every moment I have left in college. Even if some things don't work out, even if I don't get into Knights on Broadway, the important thing is that I tried. 

And so, the air may feel different this year as I take chances I never dreamed of and make the most of every second I have left with my college family, but I'm OK with that. It's a good thing, because above all else, I'm so much happier than I was before, and that's all that really matters. 

Have a magical day!

Update: I got in! 

Day 502: Knights on Broadway

Our college is a pretty awesome place, at least when we have time to enjoy things that aren't our homework or sleeping. So after finals were all finished, Shovell and I decided to take in a show, or rather a concert, put on by some of the fine musicians that go to school at our college. There's a group of 10 students that sing in something called Knights on Broadway (the name comes from the fact that we're the Green Knights). This particular year, they were singing a show they called "Let's go to the Movies," which, honestly, is like the perfect show for me. I love musicals, I love movies, I love music! BOOM!

The show was spectacular. I'm very glad I went to see it because really, it was two of the most enjoyable hours of the last few months for me (seriously...there's only four of them, and the other two were the finale of Once). There were songs from Grease and Mama Mia and so on and so forth, but by far my favorite section of the show was the Disney section. For a good while they sang numbers from some of the most famous Disney broadway musicals, such as Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Let's just say I was sitting there basically freaking out.

And Shovell can attest to the fact that at the beginning of the show I really freaked out because they started with Hooray for Hollywood. But not just ANY version of Hooray for Hollywood. We're talking the EXACT VERSION THAT PLAYS IN THE GREAT MOVIE RIDE. Yes, I was actually failing around and half jumping out of my seat. It was interesting, and exciting and MADE MY LIFE.

So congrats to those involved on Knights on Broadway! Brian, you did a great job as Lumiere, and Lauren, GREAT ARIEL! Sadie, that Ursula was awesome, and everyone else, I LOVED IT ALL!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 22 due to finals).