Wow, I can't believe it! Tonight I won Techie Extraordinaire for the 3rd Annual Southern Oregon Impact Awards. For those of you who may not know, I have been involved in the local community theatre for the past five years, and it has been an amazing experience for me. It started out in 2006 on a Sunday night. For some strange reason, the water in my church was shut off, and so we had to cancel church that day. It so happened, Rogue Music Theatre was having a performance of their production "Oliver!" that night. So, we decided since we didn't have church, we would go see the show. I was a little hesistant at first thinking that musicals were "for sissies", but I was encouraged to go. So, I went, and I REALLY enjoyed it! As I sat there watching the singing, dancing, acting, and the story unfold on stage in front of me, I especially noticed the boy playing Oliver. He was about the same age as me, and I realized if he could do it, I could do it too. Little did I know what it would turn into. Being the young child I was, I ended up looking his last name in the phone book, and writing a letter to each one of the addresses with his last name in it, luckily there was only three. I wanted to find out how to get involved like he did. So I asked him to give me a call. Sadly, when I got the phone call back from him I was at a camp for my church, so I was never able to talk to him. A few years went by, and in 2008, we saw an advertisement in the newspaper for an acting camp at Barnstormers Theatre. I finally thought this was my chance to get involved. I ended up going, and nobody could pull me away from it since. I can now say I have been to Wales, England, Bedford Falls, Monumental Pictures, Grover's Corners, Neverland, another dimension, and so much more. I have been able to be a Cowboy, Postman, Policeman, Hippie, Greek god, Long Lost Cousin, Tarzan, Grandpa, Dog, Tap Dancer, Assistant Stage Manager, Stage Manager, Propsmaster, Costumer, Usher, Set Builder, Set Painter, Writer, Director, and more. I've been able to see sickness, health, life, and yes, even death. There's been blood, sweat, and of course, lots of tears. Am I perfect?..... Far from it! Have I made mistakes?..... Absolutely!
But there are so many people I wouldn't have had this great experience without. If I miss anybody, there are countless people to mention, so please forgive me.
Thank you to Southern Oregon Impact for putting on such a wonderful event once again. As I sat back a few years ago, inspired by the many people winning awards, I wanted to be the kind of person that would be worthy of an award like that. You have made that vision come true.
To my theatre family, Thank you to all of you who nominated and voted for me. I am sooooo greatful, and so honored. Thank you to Sig Dekany, Heidi Whitehead, and Janine Contreras for teaching me everything I know about backstage work, I'd say I learned from the best! Thank you to Tricia Drevets, Elise Epstein, Ronda Bagley, Susan Russell, Anne Turner, The Kruse's, and The Strom Family for the countless hours you have put in mentoring, teaching, inspiring, and blessing me. Thank you to all the people who have given me rides to and from the theatre. Thank you to the many wonderful "families" I have gotten to work with. Thank you to those of you whose shoulders I have cried on (I won't go into details, but you know who you are),Thank you to those of you who have prayed with me, and Thank you to everyone in the theatre community, you have been such a huge part of my life.
I'd like to also thank my church family. They have been there for me through thick and thin. They're always asking what show I am working on next, and they're one of the first people to buy tickets for my show, no matter what show it may be, and even if it means they have to sit in the rain. They've prayed for me, they've given me countless rides, to and from the theatre, and they have been such a huge part of my life.
Thirdly, I'd like to thank my family. Without them, theatre would not be a part of my life either. Mom and Dad, thanks for all of your encouragement, love, and inspiration. Thank you for the time, energy, and effort you have put into this for me. From the countless rides to and from rehearsals, to coming to see all of my shows, whether you could see me on stage or not, no matter what the show may have been, and even if it meant sitting in the rain as well, you were always there for me, and I love you both!
Tim and Elisabeth, even with all of my comments about the theatre, and all of my naggings to come see my show, thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for coming to see allllllmost all of my shows, and thank you for being a part of my life.
Lastly, and most importantly, in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. I am sad to say, I have not always abided by that. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in standing ovations, your name in the program, and being in the spotlight, but without God, none of this would have been possible. He has given me the strength, energy, and ability to do it all. He has blessed me with so many wonderful people, and so many amazing experiences. He is so good to me, and I give all the glory to Him.
Once again, thank you all so much for being such a great part of my life. To all of you who won awards, many congratulations! To all of you who were nominated, many congratulations as well! Some of you may not have won, but I feel you all deserved it, and if I could personally hand you all an award, I would. To those who weren't nominated, there's no need to feel down. As a family we can create magic, an art, and a wonderful experience, so award, or no award it is a huge blessing to me. To be honest, in the end, I don't feel like I have done much to deserve an award, there are so many people who do deserve it just as much as me, but I appreciate the great honor you have given me tonight.
P.S. Sorry I haven't written more lately, I have been super busy recently, but I have post in my drafts folder now, and will hopefully be posting again soon. Thanks for reading, Have a blessed day!
~Daniel~ :)
