There Is a Reason

By Dana Godwin

          One of the most influential and heart-wrenching speeches was from my high school music teacher.  Melissa would give such inspiring, personal, and emotional words to us on a daily basis that when she passed away after a four-year battle with cancer, it meant even more.  Being a devoted and active thespian almost my entire life, there have been few people who have inspired me and connected with me in a certain way.  One never really knows what they have until it’s gone and this speech truly portrays that.
          Before every production of a show, the director makes a speech thanking the cast and telling them that it was a worthwhile experience.  After her passing, a memorial show was put together for last May to remember all that she had done for the arts in my high school.  The many talented alumni involved were remarkable.  A talented videographer pieced together a montage of all her many speeches from over the years into one magnificent and memorable speech.  The power of this speech, the emotion from her could still connect to her ‘children’ and to audience members who’d never even met her.     
          I was fortunate enough to hear at least six core speeches from this woman and had the wonderful opportunity to replay the montage.  She spoke of energy more than anything and that energy is the most positive thing you can bring to an audience.  Aside from being a music teacher, she dabbled in directing many times.
           “There is so much energy in this building, I felt it when I walked through the door.  What we need to do is channel it towards putting it towards the show,” she said one day.  Nerves are always a problem when opening night arrives, but she knew how to spin it some way that would relax a cast or a class. 
          “All right, so we have a show to do and, um, this is an ensemble.  You’re an ensemble as the crews, and the pit, and the actors.  Remember that.  Aside from your specific job, you need to always say thank you.”  Reminding everyone that without each other, you have nothing to give and you need to be grateful for that. 
          When I was well into my junior year of high school, she was diagnosed and had to take time off to get better.  She still chose to do that musical because it gave her joy and something to look forward to and make her happy.  “One of the reasons this club works is because we have established that it’s a family and we depend on each other and trust each other,” she said.  Theatre itself, no matter where, always turns into some strange version of a family because of the amount of time and kind of time that is spent with one another.
          She reassured those who were apprehensive or reluctant to be on stage.  “Few people will ever have the experience of what you’re doing and few people will ever have so much joy and so much wonderful energy,” she said.  Once she was diagnosed, she really gave her energy to us about how she felt about life and what should be made of it.  “We live our whole lives and we are fully aware of our mortality and I think we all in some small way strive to overcome that and to become in some strange way immortal.”  I never realized the strength behind this until reliving the live moment through video less than a year ago. 
          “Time is the most valuable thing that you will ever have and you gotta realize that we can’t hand on to time, but we can hang on to memories.  Memories are the most precious thing to hold on to,” she said another day.  When watching this montage again, this is the most important quote that struck me and emotionally attacked me.  There was no bad day that she could not make better and there was no situation she couldn’t provide advice on.
          Although my heart may be broken from her no longer being here, I am grateful to have had her as a substantial influence in my life.  Her words, lessons, and rituals have stayed with me throughout college and will continue throughout my life and theatre life.  This montage of live speeches empowers me and lets me know that there are reasons for doing things.  There are reasons to do what you love and reasons you meet the people in your life.  There are reasons that lessons are learned and things stay with you.