Feelings

I feel as if my own words cannot adequately express what this summer meant to me. I learned things and felt things for people that I never dreamed possible. I have come out a better actor, and more importantly a better person. I am so happy with the person I am today, whether that means NYU changed me into who I want to be, or it just helped me realize that I have always been there and I have finally accepted that. It gave me contentment and also restlessness. How am I supposed to go back to the mundane world of High School after living on my own in New York for a month? Only time will tell, but lord knows I will savor my senior year, and relish in its tiny victories, its rigors, and my wonderful, incredible friends.
There have been many people on facebook trying to really fit these amazing few weeks within the confines of this seemingly small white space, so I leave it to them to express my own thoughts and feelings.

One of my best friends in the program, David:

"Now I don't usually indulge in this type of public display of sentiment, especially when its open to anyone who wants to read it. It's just not my style. However, I felt that this might be an exception. I didn't really get to say all I needed to when I left you guys, and I feel like I never got to let you all know how I feel. So now I will make that known. This is my last token of appreciation- my thank-you to you all for changing my life forever.

I was thinking tonight about what exactly made my time here so enjoyable. Certainly it was the training, and probably New York City as well. I've learned more here than I ever did in my entire lifetime- and the experience has been invaluable.

However, I think what separates this experience from the rest is the people. Never in my life have I encountered such a loving, open, warm, and generous group of people. I come from a place where theatre is a cutthroat competition- where superiority and egos reign supreme. Before I came here, I understood theatre as a breeding ground for ill will and hatred. (And I will admit, every once in a while I did take part in the type of behavior I now despise.) But here, I have come across a new form of theatre. It is a form of theatre in which everyone is kind, encouraging, and always warm. No one here preoccupies him or herself with comparing him or herself to his or her fellow actors. No one talks about anyone else's faults behind another's back. No one thinks that he or she is better than any other single individual. That is very new to me, and it has opened my eyes to a school of thought that I had forgotten about in my time in high school- that theatre is a collaborative art, and that the job of the actor is to encourage his or her partner onstage. Everyone here has helped me rediscover this ideal, because unfortunately I had forgotten it a long time ago.

So I leave Tisch Summer High enjoying the memories and savoring my 63 new friendships. But I also leave with a new state of mind- with a determination to act in a way that reflects the actions of everyone here at NYU. I leave a new man- a better man.

No one ever laughed at me when I flailed around in ballet. No one shot a snarky look at their neighbor when I cracked on a top note. No one tried to put me down or criticize me. Instead, I always received positive feedback and a flurry of compliments- compliments that could have been left unsaid, but were instead bestowed upon me by some of the most generous, loving people I know. You should all know that you're very special, and that you are unlike anyone I have ever met.

Tisch Summer High has changed my life forever, and it was all because of you. I love you all and will miss you dearly. Hopefully, I will be seeing you all very, very soon. It is my utmost wish that I share a stage with each and every one of you in the near future- and I know all of you will go very, very far.

Thanks for the best summer of my life.

-David
=)"

My substitute mom, group leader (PA) and one of the greatest people I have ever met, PJ.

"I sat on your beds today, all of you, after you left me and the hall was filled with nothing but unwanted objects and the faint, haunting echoes of your voices, reminding me of those who had just gone. As I sat, sometimes crossed-legged, sometimes feet on the floor, and sometimes knees to my chest, I tried my hardest to feel you. I tried to feel whatever little bit of you was left in the room. Whether it be the scent of you fading with the open door, or some bobby-pins or paper left behind, I wanted to take it all in. I needed something more. I felt it all wasn't complete, that it couldn't be over. But finally, I realized, what I was trying to take in, and to send to you, was the love. I was hoping that some little bit of your soul, your love, was hidden on that sheet-less bed in that barren room waiting for me to come and collect it. And as I tried and tried and tried to let it all sink in, it hit me - it all already had. Despite the fact that these 4 weeks felt like 4 days, despite the fact that we may have been close for the whole time or for only a few days, despite the fights and the rumors and the meetings and the sticky spots, despite it all...we had managed to love each other harder, faster, better, and stronger than I have ever seen anyone love before.
I know I've thanked you already, but I want to thank you again for making this one of the best summers of my life. You all are wonderful people with so much to give to this world. All of you will go far and do great things. And I hope, however far you go and however great you become, you always know you have a friend in me.
Love you guys."


Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for partaking in the greatest summer of my short life.
<3
-Patrick