“Places in five minutes! Places in five!” 

The familiar phrase hits me as I render my thoughts and feelings, pushing down the butterflies desperately trying to fly out. 

As I took my place behind the curtains of stage left and watched the curtains open, I took a deep breath and transformed into the bratty and selfish character of Florinda on Friday night. 

 I stepped onto the stage and joined my sister Lucinda (McKenzie), and my step-sister Cinderella (Paige), as we acted out our first scene. I will forever cherish the chemistry that developed between myself, Paige, and McKenzie, as well as with my mother and step-father, (Mikayla and Madar). 

After I walked off the stage after my final scene, the once nervous butterflies turned to feelings of bittersweet joy as I sat and realized how little time I had to show my friends, family, and peers what I had worked so hard on the past four months. 

May 6th, 2023 was our cast’s senior night. As I took my final bow as a member of PrideProductions and “kissed” the stage, the knowing feelings I held back from moving on from the family PrideProductions gave me pushed through, and I left all my tears and feelings behind on the stage. 

During our strike, I sat in the middle of the auditorium and watched the set and the story the company of Into the Woods put together in a matter of months get torn apart within a matter of hours. I sat and watched the remaining bits of the show falter away, as I sat and reminisced about the grit and resilience PrideProductions gave me. 

I will always remember joining theatre my junior year and being welcomed in by the most loving group of peers. It hurts to say goodbye after such a short amount of time, but I know that my experiences through this program will benefit me positively in the future.

So thank you, PrideProductions, for everything you have done for me.