I Had A Dream

So exactly one week from today on Nov. 7^th I will be flying to LA to attend John Mellencamp’s 55^th birthday bash!

Just kiddin…I needed a funny opening line - what we call in the biz a “teaser” to grab your attention…did it work? Anyway, his birthday is on Nov. 7^th though…

I am actually going to see Sister Act – The Musical. We are co-producing this new musical, based on the popular Whoopi Goldberg movie, with Pasadena Playhouse/other producers and the musical will be coming to the Alliance in January. This is a two-city try out for a show that could potentially head to Broadway.

And this is one sweet perk.

To fly to Cali to scout out a show and figure out ways to better position said show to Atlanta audiences. This opportunity has made me stop and remember that six years ago when I left college I had a dream…

A dream that has consumed me for the last six years. A dream that has kept my head down, kept me screening all my calls (even calls from family and close friends at times) and kept me over-working.

And it’s so crazy for me to think that something I couldn’t wait to do everyday for the last six years of my life might be set aside for something I didn’t even know I wanted to do a year ago.

Sure. I have learned tons in the business world that has made me the worker I am today but this is like HELLO DIRECTION CHANGE.

It wasn’t until about halfway through my senior year at Georgia that I even knew that arts organizations had marketing departments. But when I found that out it was like so clear to me - combining my marketing degree with my love for the arts was exactly what I wanted to do. And I was very passionate about it. I knew what an amazing experience at a show felt like. And I wanted to help people to have that same experience. I used to get stressed out all the time because I couldn’t get more people to come see shows. As one marketing colleague put it, “Curt, you can lead them to the trough, but you can’t make them drink.”

But you know what? “making people drink” just doesn’t frustrate me anymore…

One day I thought…“I don’t really think God loses sleep over how many tickets I sell to this show.”
And then I started thinking...“DOES God sleep?” No wait…
I mean I started thinking…“What DOES God worry about?”
And then I was like… “What is something that worries God that ALSO worries ME?”

I think it was that line of thinking that first caused me to volunteer at Prevent Child Abuse Georgia in January, and it was also thoughts like that which took me to work with children in Bolivia for two weeks in June and then took me to work with the kids at my church after that. It is also thoughts like that which might take me BACK to the kids in Bolivia because two weeks was just not enough time…

Dear Deloris Van Cartier (aka Sister Mary Clarence),

I know you witnessed your gangsta boyfriend kill somebody and all. I know he is hunting you down and you are being forced to hide out in a convent through the witness protection program. And I know I need to sell tickets so people can escape for two hours from their crazy, busy lives…but you see, this little girl in Cochabamba, Bolivia did not even BELIEVE me when I told her that yes, she could actually KEEP the box of crayons I gave her…and the look in her eyes and the hug she gave me were worth way more than any seat in a theater I could ever help to fill.

So I’m sorry. I wish you the best. But I got a new dream now.