Rosie's Year with I Can Do That Theatre Company

I was at my little sister’s production of Mulan, wondering for the millionth time why I had never done a show with a community theatre company. I considered myself to be the “performing one,” yet I only had the courage to do shows at my school and here she was: onstage again. Every time I went to the Village Theatre to watch her, I checked all the flyers and brochures in the front, hoping there would be some sort of program that felt right for me. Usually it was shows that seemed too young and immature for me, or ads for adult shows that would be performing at the theatre. But this time, there was something new. A business card for I Can Do That Theatre Company, advertising auditions on May 14th for a summer showcase. I immediately went on the website and it was perfect – ages 8-18, rehearsals and performances inside Danville, and an audition consisting of two contrasting songs with an accompanist. Well here I am, one year (and 2.5 ICDT shows) after I found that flyer, and I couldn’t be happier. I Can Do That truly changed my life.

I Can Do That has changed so much in its first year – from a small group rehearsing in the Danville Grange to a full-on theatre company with their own studio. But over the past year, ICDT has changed me almost as much as they’ve changed themselves. In the months before I found ICDT, I was going through a pretty rough time. I had just had knee surgery for a torn meniscus, and my recovery was slow, tedious, and boring. I wasn’t in any shows, and I couldn’t compete or dance with my dance studio. So when I found ICDT, a couple months after surgery as I began to be able to walk and put weight on my knee again, I was ready for a fresh start. ICDT gave me something to work hard towards. It motivated me. I knew I had to keep working hard in physical therapy in order to be allowed to do the choreography Jarusha gave me. It also helped me in creativity and problem solving – if the move was something I couldn’t do, I would have to think about slight changes I could make and what muscles I could use instead to do it so I would still look like I was doing the dance, but I wasn’t hurting my knee.

When I walked into that first rehearsal for the summer showcase, I was so shy. I stayed tight by my sister’s side, scared to try to make new friends for fear that they wouldn’t like me. Now, I don’t even walk into rehearsal – I run and leap into rehearsal, my excitement propelling me towards the door every day, no matter how tired I am, or how hard the day has been. And I’m not quiet or shy anymore. I’m crazy – jumping around, dancing, singing, shouting. I have found a safe haven and a family that I know will always be there for me. A family that will get up and dance and jump alongside me.

But Shayna and Jarusha have also given me another gift, in addition to this amazing family and safe haven. Confidence. Before ICDT, I had never been the lead in a show before. I thought I wasn’t good enough, and I didn’t think I would ever get there. But with ICDT I’ve had a series of firsts; at the Summer Showcase I sang my first real solo, and after that they gave me my first lead role – Rose Alvarez in Bye Bye Birdie. The rush of emotions I got while performing that show and taking that final bow is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I was near tears every night I performed as I ran out to take the bow – I am so grateful to have gotten such a life changing experience. As I watch shows now, and see the leads take their final bow, the rush of excitement comes back to me. If it hadn’t been for Shayna and Jarusha, I never would have gotten any of this. I would still be stuck in the ensemble, wondering what was wrong with me. Their faith in me has changed me more than I can say.

Shayna and Jarusha, along with their friends Renee and Clay, have changed my life for the better. In the course of a year, I’ve gotten so much closer with all of them – I know they will always be there for me, both while I’m at ICDT and after I go off to college. When I first met Shayna and Jarusha, I wanted so desperately for them to like me. I would laugh extra loud at all of their jokes, I memorized all the songs super early, and practiced the dances tirelessly – anything to show how dedicated I was and how much I loved them. Now, I still do all these thing (especially the laughing – the jokes get better the longer you know them), but now I don’t need to prove myself. I know that they will still love me even if I forget a line or mess up a dance step, that they are always there as shoulders to cry on. And trust me, I’ve used those shoulders a lot; theatre is an emotional place. I Can Do That is truly a family. I’m so lucky that they are mine.

Rosie is currently performing with ICDT in Little Shop of Horrors May 26th - June 4th at the Danville Village Theatre. Visit www.ICanDoThatTheatre.com for more info!