Where Does Time Go?

21 days ago I graduated and received my BFA. 17 Days ago I left Philadelphia; leaving behind my friends, my house and the city that I called home for 4 years. 16 days ago I sat in front of the Eiffel Tower in awe of the 7,300 tons of wrought iron that towered above me. 11 days ago I got tragically lost in Venice. (In the moment it wasn't fun, but it's a fun story to tell.) The water taxi on the Grand Canal, the delicious pasta, google maps and intuition eventually led us home. 11 days ago we got our final Edison draft for Prague. 7 days ago we started pick up rehearsals in Prague. 2 days ago we opened in Prague. How did we get here? Where do we go from here? How do we turn our experiences (the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, the frustrating, the fulfilling) into an energy that will propel us forward into the unknown?

I really wish that I could bend time. To slow it down, to pause it, to fast forward it, or to just bottle it up. Being abroad with my friends and fellow collaborators is like an experience unlike any other. Rehearsing in parks, studios and apartments is a breath of fresh air and will soon be my routinely reality as I transition into the life of a post graduate. Art making is exciting and terrifying and rewarding and telling. We learn about ourselves and the world that we live in by the stories we choose to tell and the ways in which we tell them.

Edison is a bad ass play and getting to play Edison is bad ass. I get to sing my little heart out. I get to step into the shoes of a scientist. I get to bend time for 45 minutes. We get to perform a politically charged piece about what it means to be an American outside of America. We get to showcase our interpretation of the Tesla/Edison rival on an international stage.

In 2 days we will close Edison in Prague. In 3 days I will fly home. In 19 days I will start my job for the summer in Chicago. Time is fleeting and unfortunately, unlike Edison can in the play, I cannot bend time. I'm going to miss Prague. I'm going to miss my roomies here (Shout out to the Annie House) (Love you too, Fanny house). I'm going to miss performing in Edison. I feel like I'm just starting to understand the role and the show just in time to say goodbye to it. I think it's fair to say that this trip has made me a different person. A stronger person. A more honest person. A more compassionate and empathetic person. And in my opinion, those are exactly the things that I need in order to be the kind of artist and citizen of the world that I want to be.

I'm ready to tell honest stories with my feet planted in the ground all while my heart converses with my gut. Edison, I look forward to meeting again. Europe, I look forward to seeing you soon. Friends, I look forward to seeing you soon and to carrying you in my heart. Paris, Venice and Prague, I look forward to seeing you in my dreams. Art, I look forward to feeling you in my veins. Onward and upward. The quest to stop time will continue. Edison will win again and Tesla will still be the smartest guy on the block. The cycle repeats itself. Until next time... Cheers!