I think we have a responsibility to give our students a sense of themselves and where they can go. High school is often the beginning for many students but it is their destination that is the most glorious. Theatre was a place for many students to find themselves. We do not have any Oscar winners but we do have kids who have gone on to do movies, television, Broadway, and local theatres. Those students have done exceptional things since their time at Rangeview. I have seen many of our students in these productions. I have a couple of pictures that represent beginnings and destinations. They are pictures of my daughter in theatre at the beginning and her acting/directing destination. The first picture represents her debut in a production for Beginning Performing Arts with Sandy Scott. The other picture is her directorial debut and her last official production for the University of Wyoming. I especially like her destination. She had the opportunity to direct the Vagina Monologues. When it came time for the production, she told her advisor that Dawn and I were coming to the show. The advisor was a little nervous and asked Kaila if I knew what the production was about. She said something to the effect that “My dad is an old theatre guy so he can’t wait.” That may have been one of the nicest things Kaila has ever said about me. When she reached this destination she knew that we were there and supportive of her choices.
The greatest joy as a member of the theatre community at Rangeview has been seeing the life destinations of all of the kids. Without judgment and with love we have had a group that has reached the best destinations possible, They are successful members of the community and have found happiness. I love to watch social media and see all of the things they are doing. It is a much better evaluation of what we do in high school and the theatre department. All of the things I have been a part of have influenced their lives and hopefully given them a solid base to build their destinations. What is even more exciting is that their current destinations will continue to build even better destinations in the future.