Theatre Jacksonville

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>>: ♪ [ MUSIC ] ♪
>>: WHEN I TELL PEOPLE THAT
STARTED MY ACTING CAREER IN
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, THEY GO
...
AND I KNOW IT'S AN UNLIKELY
PLACE, BUT YOU JUST DON'T KNOW
WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO FIND
YOUR MUSE OR YOUR TRAINING OR
... YOURSELF.
>> IT IS A FANTASTIC PLACE TO
COME AND SEE A GREAT PLAY.
I MEAN WE DO QUALITY WORK HERE,
AND THAT -- I'M VERY, VERY PROUD
OF THAT.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE A GOOD PLAY,
THIS IS THE PLACE TO COME.
>> YOU KNOW, IT IS INCREDIBLE IF
YOU THINK ABOUT THE CULTURE THAT
WE LIVE IN TODAY, TOO.
THIS IS AND ALL VOLUNTEER
OPERATION.
I MEAN THAT JUST REALLY SETS ME
BACK ON MY HEELS EVERY TIME I
THINK ABOUT IT, WHEN I LOOK AT
THE SETS, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE
HOURS THAT HAVE GONE INTO THE
PRACTICE, WHEN I LOOK AT THE
QUALITY OF THE PERFORMANCE, AND
I THINK THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING
THIS FOR THE LOVE OF IT.
>> I LOVE THE FACT THAT PEOPLE
WORK TOGETHER IN A PRODUCTION,
AND MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE VERY
UNLIKE EACH OTHER WORK TOGETHER
TO PRESENT SOMETHING WONDERFUL.
>> YOU DON'T DEDICATE THREE
HOURS EVERY DAY OF YOUR BUSY
LIFE TO COME TO A PLACE IF YOU
DON'T LOVE IT, IF IT DOESN'T
MEAN SOMETHING TO YOU.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO COME IN AND
SIT DOWN AND WATCH A PLAY, UHM,
I THINK THAT THEY CAN'T HELP BUT
FEEL THAT LOVE COMING FROM THE
STAGE.
AND THEN WHEN THEY LEAVE OUT OF
HERE, HOPEFULLY THAT LOVE FLOWS
FROM THEM INTO THE PEOPLE AROUND
THEM, WHEN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT
THE PLAY THAT THEY JUST SAW.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEATRE
JACKSONVILLE IN MANY WAYS IS THE
CENTER OF THIS WEB THAT SPRINGS
OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
[ MULTIPLE VOICES SPEAKING ]
>>: THEATRE JACKSONVILLE, WE DO
TRY TO DO PLAYS THAT LOOK AT
ISSUES IN THE WORLD, IN THE
COMMUNITY, WITH WELFARE WELL,
WHICH WAS ABOUT A CANADIAN WOMAN
WHO WAS OLD AND SHE HAD BEEN AN
ACTOR AND SHE RAN OUT OF MONEY.
WHAT THEATRE JACKSONVILLE DID
WAS PARTNERED WITH CLARA WHITE
MISSION AND SAID, "OKAY, WE'RE
GOING TO COLLECT FOOD AND
DONATIONS FOR THE MISSION."
AND THERE WAS A TON OF FOOD THAT
WAS COLLECTED.
AND WHEN PEOPLE DIDN'T REMEMBER
TO BRING FOOD THEY BROUGHT
MONEY, AND ALL OF THAT WENT TO
CLARA WHITE.
SO THAT WAS -- I LOVE THOSE
PARTNERSHIPS IN THE NONPROFIT
WORLD, WHEN YOU CAN HELP EACH
OTHER AND IT IS MEANINGFUL TO
HELP EACH OTHER.
>> ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO
KEEP COMMUNITY ALIVE AND VIABLE
WE NEED TO DO, AND THIS THEATER
DOES THAT.
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>>: THEATRE JACKSONVILLE
ALLOWED ME TO DISCOVER WHAT IT
WAS THAT I WAS GOOD AT, WHAT IT
WAS THAT REALLY, AHH, REALLY
MADE ME HAPPY.
I DID MY FIRST SHOW HERE AS AN
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER AND WENT
RIGHT TO THE HEAD CAMP
COUNSELLOR FOR THE TWO YEARS
THAT I WAS HERE.
ACTUALLY, BUDDY WAS ONE OF MY
CAMPERS WHEN -- WHEN I WAS HERE.
>> I WAS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, TO
BE ENTIRELY HONEST I WAS A
PRETTY SHY CAMPER IN GENERAL
AND, YOU KNOW, THIS CAMP HAS
REALLY HELPED ME TO COME INTO MY
OWN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED
WITH ASPERGER'S, WHICH IS A FORM
OF AUTISM.
HANGING OUT WITH THIS GROUP OF
PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS VERY
FRIENDLY, VERY ACCEPTING AND
WELCOMING GROUP OF PEOPLE, YOU
KNOW, HAS JUST BEEN GREAT.
>> THE INTERESTING THING WITH
SEEING THE KIDS IS YOU HAVE SOME
THAT COME IN THE FIRST DAY WHO
BARELY WANT TO TELL YOU THEIR
NAME, YOU KNOW, VERY QUIET,
VERY, YOU KNOW, SHY, AND THEN
THROUGH THEIR EXPOSURE TO
THEATER AND JUST THE ...
FRIENDLY, ACCEPTING ENVIRONMENT
HERE THEY'RE ABLE TO KIND OF
GROW.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE SHY RED
STAR ON DAY ONE IS NOW A
BUDDING DIVA.
>> EXCUSE ME, PEOPLE.
IT IS A PROBLEM!
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>>: THEATRE JACKSONVILLE HAS,
AS I LOOK BACK ON IT, THAT WAS
MY APPRENTICESHIP IN THE
THEATER.
THAT'S WHERE I TOOK MY MASTER
CLASS IN SCENERY, THAT'S WHERE I
TOOK MY MASTER CLASS IN THEATER
MANAGEMENT, THAT'S WHERE I TOOK
MY MASTERS CLASS IN ACTING,
DIRECTING OR DIE DIPLOMA ASSIE.
>>: YOU LEARN EVERYTHING HERE,
YOU GET A TASTE FOR EVERYTHING
THAT'S THEATER.
THAT'S SO GREAT.
>>: THEATER AND MUSIC GIVES ME
AN OUTLET, A SENSE OF FREEDOM,
FREEDOM TO BE WHO I AM.
>> THIS STAGE TO ME IS SACRED.
I REMEMBER THE FIRST NIGHT WHEN
THE CURTAINS OPENED UP AND I SAW
THE AUDIENCE OUT THERE.
SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENS
>>: THIS IS SOMETHING VERY,
VERY SPECIAL, A SPECIAL ISLAND
OF LOVE AND CREATIVITY IN A
CULTURE THAT'S VERY DOLLAR
DOMINATED.
YOU KNOW, THAT IT HAS ENDURED
FOR ALL OF THOSE YEARS --
>> YEAH, YEAH
>>: -- REALLY SAYS SOMETHING
VERY POWERFUL ABOUT THE
COMMUNITY IN WHICH THE THEATER,
YOU KNOW, IS EMBEDDED.
HOPEFULLY THAT STORY CONTINUES
TO BE TOLD, AND HOPEFULLY IT
CONTINUES TO BE TRUE.
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