My fiancé and I have been together for years now. She is a Theatre teacher and with my background in both music (sax player for a quarter century now) and wood working (just over twenty years in manufacturing) she tends to tap me as a resource for productions she is involved with. Sometimes I find myself designing and constructing props and set pieces. Other times I may be playing music, conducting a group of musicians to accompany a musical, or musical directing a youth theatre company. Most recently I even had the chance to perform as a puppeteer in the New York International Fringe Festival. Constantly being ‘dragged’ into the world of theatre leaves me with only one regret, and that is that I wish I had more expertise or training in the theatre arts so that I could contribute at a higher level. This has driven me to strongly consider a minor in Theatre at Queens College.
Impulsiveness being rarely a good thing, I do not wish to charge headlong into a Theatre minor without finding out if I will be both happy with, and passionate about the program. To this end I have been lucky enough to have been awarded a Federal Work Study grant and have chosen a position in the scene shop on campus. By semester’s end I should know if the Theatre minor is right for me.
The concept of ‘try before you buy’ is one which I have preached to friends and colleagues for years now. Here is what I mean:
Want to be a nurse/doctor/first responder? Try and arrange a couple of ride-along sessions with a paramedic unit. See firsthand what it is like when a life is on the line. Don’t wait till you have gone three years into medical school to find out you can’t stand the sight of blood.
Want to be a teacher? Volunteer with any number of youth organizations to find out if you can stand other peoples kids for more than an hour.
Want to be a mommy/daddy? Babysit/Foster.
I could give countless more examples. Basically I am saying, if it will be a big part of your future, find a way to ‘sample’ it first.
What are your future goals, and how are you going to try before you buy?
‘till soon,
J Prime
