I had known that I would be flying to Denver for four weeks and I did not tell my parents about it because they would be coming to the Gala and I wanted to surprise them. I stayed with my host family from staging last semester, Bruce and Linda Erley, who are very dear family friends. It was so nice to be back in their home again after so long.
For the first time in four months, I had the chance to sleep in until noon. Unfortunately, my body decided to wake up every few hours starting at 3am. Once I was up for the day, we headed to the Up with People office. After multiple hugs and hellos, we began rehearsing and preparing for the gala. Beyah, Larissa, and I dance in the show so, we worked with Ken, our Associate Producer and Choreographer on some of the dances we would be doing for the gala performance. We spent all afternoon rehearsing until the evening when everyone else arrived for rehearsal. The four of us were brought home to be part of a larger cast made up of UWP alumni from around the Denver area. All 20 of us spent the first night learning the vocals to all the songs we would be singing. The four of us knew most of the music since a lot of it was from our current show. However, we also had the chance to learn some new songs too.
Wednesday, after another restless night, we headed into the office after lunch to start loading the truck with the equipment for the show. Even after traveling for eight months, I have only been signed out to help with setting up or striking the equipment once during these eight months. That meant I still had no idea what to do with any of our equipment. Luckily, Jeramy, our Technical Operations Manager, took the time to help teach me about our equipment and how to load our truck in the most efficient way. I had a blast working with the equipment and getting it ready to unload a few days later at our show facility. That evening, we met with the rest of the cast to work on cast movement and continue working on perfecting details with some of the dances we would be doing.
Thursday morning, I woke up and spent the morning making a snowman with Linda, my host mom. I had not made a snowman since I was a little boy, and Linda and I had a blast rolling balls of snow and walking through the yard to find the perfect sticks and rocks to make the eyes and hands. After lunch we headed to the office to begin another day of preparations. Thursday was the day of the big surprise when my parents arrived to Denver. They were scheduled to arrive at the UWP office for a meeting at 2pm. I sat at the reception desk in my newly purchased Austrian hat with my head down pretending to be working. As they walked into the office, I popped my head up and said in an enthusiastic voice, "Good afternoon, welcome to the Up with People office. How may I help you?" The only thing I remember is the high pitched shrill from my mother right before she burst into tears. It was the perfect surprise and my parents where thrilled because my brother and I would have the opportunity to perform on the same stage together at the gala. We spend the rest of the afternoon preparing the specialty costumes that everyone would wear for the show.
After dinner, we had a stop and go run-through of the show. Even after only two rehearsals, the show was coming together quickly.
Friday morning, we began loading the rest of the equipment into the truck and after lunch we headed to the Denver Marriott to unload. Once the equipment was unloaded, we began setting up the stage. In all my time as a student, I had never set up our stage and I guess it is never too late to learn how it all works. It is always magnificent to see the magic of the stage, lights, band, and curtains come together to create a the scene of a rock concert.
Saturday morning began at 8am to finish setting up the stage. In the middle of the morning, Kirsten, my best friend growing up, arrived to watch me perform at the gala. We got to spend some time in the morning catching up and hanging out. However, like every other show day, come 1 o'clock, we began our rehearsal.
Once we finished rehearsal, it was time to get ready for the show. Before the show started, I had the chance to see many dear family friends who traveled with my parents. I also had the opportunity to speak with J. Blanton Belk and his wife Betty who is the founder of Up with People.
The energy during the show was like nothing I had experienced yet during my travels in UWP. There is something special about performing for alumni that just takes the energy to an unparalleled level. After the entertainment portion of the gala, we had the chance to sit and listen to the speaker, Eugene Cernan, who was the last astronaut to walk on the moon. Captain Cernan and Blanton Belk are very good friends and it was so incredible to listen to the two reminisce about their passion for UWP. One thing that really stuck with me from Captain Cernan was what he said about dreamers. He said, "The dreamers of today can become the doers of tomorrow." It was an out of body experience to listen to a man who has seen the world from such a distance where visible borders no longer exist talking about hope for the future. We ended the show with one final song called "Moon Rider," which was written about Captain Cernan's experiences in space and how he saw the "world without and borders." I was so grateful I had the opportunity to have such a treasured experience with performing for our founder Mr. Belk, Captain Cernan, and sharing the stage with my brother, who played the drums.
Sunday we spent the day at the mall stocking up on more toiletries and clothes to take back with me to Europe. It was a very relaxing day hanging out with Kirsten and my family. I was very thankful for having the chance to enjoy time with family and friends. It was a very special and memorable week.
Wednesday, after another restless night, we headed into the office after lunch to start loading the truck with the equipment for the show. Even after traveling for eight months, I have only been signed out to help with setting up or striking the equipment once during these eight months. That meant I still had no idea what to do with any of our equipment. Luckily, Jeramy, our Technical Operations Manager, took the time to help teach me about our equipment and how to load our truck in the most efficient way. I had a blast working with the equipment and getting it ready to unload a few days later at our show facility. That evening, we met with the rest of the cast to work on cast movement and continue working on perfecting details with some of the dances we would be doing.
Thursday morning, I woke up and spent the morning making a snowman with Linda, my host mom. I had not made a snowman since I was a little boy, and Linda and I had a blast rolling balls of snow and walking through the yard to find the perfect sticks and rocks to make the eyes and hands. After lunch we headed to the office to begin another day of preparations. Thursday was the day of the big surprise when my parents arrived to Denver. They were scheduled to arrive at the UWP office for a meeting at 2pm. I sat at the reception desk in my newly purchased Austrian hat with my head down pretending to be working. As they walked into the office, I popped my head up and said in an enthusiastic voice, "Good afternoon, welcome to the Up with People office. How may I help you?" The only thing I remember is the high pitched shrill from my mother right before she burst into tears. It was the perfect surprise and my parents where thrilled because my brother and I would have the opportunity to perform on the same stage together at the gala. We spend the rest of the afternoon preparing the specialty costumes that everyone would wear for the show.
After dinner, we had a stop and go run-through of the show. Even after only two rehearsals, the show was coming together quickly.
Friday morning, we began loading the rest of the equipment into the truck and after lunch we headed to the Denver Marriott to unload. Once the equipment was unloaded, we began setting up the stage. In all my time as a student, I had never set up our stage and I guess it is never too late to learn how it all works. It is always magnificent to see the magic of the stage, lights, band, and curtains come together to create a the scene of a rock concert.
Saturday morning began at 8am to finish setting up the stage. In the middle of the morning, Kirsten, my best friend growing up, arrived to watch me perform at the gala. We got to spend some time in the morning catching up and hanging out. However, like every other show day, come 1 o'clock, we began our rehearsal.
Once we finished rehearsal, it was time to get ready for the show. Before the show started, I had the chance to see many dear family friends who traveled with my parents. I also had the opportunity to speak with J. Blanton Belk and his wife Betty who is the founder of Up with People.
The energy during the show was like nothing I had experienced yet during my travels in UWP. There is something special about performing for alumni that just takes the energy to an unparalleled level. After the entertainment portion of the gala, we had the chance to sit and listen to the speaker, Eugene Cernan, who was the last astronaut to walk on the moon. Captain Cernan and Blanton Belk are very good friends and it was so incredible to listen to the two reminisce about their passion for UWP. One thing that really stuck with me from Captain Cernan was what he said about dreamers. He said, "The dreamers of today can become the doers of tomorrow." It was an out of body experience to listen to a man who has seen the world from such a distance where visible borders no longer exist talking about hope for the future. We ended the show with one final song called "Moon Rider," which was written about Captain Cernan's experiences in space and how he saw the "world without and borders." I was so grateful I had the opportunity to have such a treasured experience with performing for our founder Mr. Belk, Captain Cernan, and sharing the stage with my brother, who played the drums.
