New Directions

Hello everyone,

It's been some time since we last talked. There's a great deal of good story to share with you.

To start: We've finally narrowed down the mass of play submissions for Under 6 (over 3,300!) to 25-30 top plays that the Artistic Director will review and give his personal input. There's some real good ones in there. I'm looking forward to hearing who's going to be the winner. I also devoted many an hour to completing our subscription renewals. We spend much of the time processing the last of the forms, answer phone calls, help walk-in patrons, and then talk about the more "interesting" patrons that we encounter.

Thursday: we made our way out for an Art Appreciation day they are had at a local Elementary School. This particular location is another very FST-friendly place, which made us even more eager to attend. The Principle was decked out in a P.T. Barum outfit. There was dancing, there was the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner, there were ballet dancers, and there were unicycle riders. And they were just part of the event, each demonstrating and breaking down their feats to help children understand how they did them. We were one of the main events, teaching everyone a fun dance set to the Black Eyed Peas "I Got A Feelin'". This was also a great time, with all the challenges of keeping the excited child-crowds focused on the task. And, lots of special hollywood-star shaped shades that would make even Kanye West proud. We had 30 minutes with each grade (6 sessions in all): we managed to squeeze in dress rehearsal of the performance and then a final presentation that was video-taped.

That is in quick some this week's highlights. And now for an important announcement.

Over the past few weeks, I have had a chance to reflect on the incredible breadth and depth of my adventures here. There were important discoveries made and lessons learned that will serve me well wherever I find my life leading. But, with the summer employment season close at hand, and the Playmakers and Under 6 Tour concluded, I felt this was the right time to conclude my Journey with Florida Studio Theatre (FST).

This decision came from both personal and professional reasons. I'm excited because it signals the next step. What I have learned about myself in Florida will require me to take a different approach to being an artist. It coincides with what I see as a change in direction. Since I have only arrived today, more introspection is needed. And of course, I will be eager to share them with you. I'm grateful to FST for opening their doors; giving me the chance to do some amazing work and gain further insight into the Business. My superiors, along with the entire staff, have been gracious and supportive of my decisions. I wish them all the best and hope that our futures my once again intertwine. In the meantime, I will recoup from my travels and look forward to making my next post for all of you. Until then.

-Ben