Read My Blog

The heading of this post should be a bumper sticker -- you know, like "Kiss My Ass". Actually, I hope "they" don't read my blog. At least, not yet. Considering that I only have 16 official "Fans", I suppose I don't have to worry about any of "them" visiting my blog.

I am speaking of the high school generation, specifically the high school students at the school where my good friend Tim taught drama for 24 years. Nah, I am sure that this is the last place they will look.

Every year I give out a scholarship in my son's memory, the Sean Emdy Memorial Scholarship, to a graduating senior who is going on to college, and who has a continuing interest in drama or technical theatre. This June 8th will be the tenth time that I have given out a scholarship in Sean's memory. Yesterday I received the two applications for the current year; I only get two or three applications each year.

I am always surprised when I receive the applications. The students who I think will apply, and who I hope apply, often do not. The students that do apply usually surprise me, and often impress me.

The application process is simple: write up one or two pages about your interest in theatre and what you've learned and what you've done and provide two letters of recommendation. Not only am I surprised by who applies, but by what they write.

Yes, there are the students who have been in every show since they were freshmen, who did summer theatre since they were five years old, who can sing and dance circles around others. These are not the students who receive the scholarship. I am looking for students who have learned something more -- the students who have learned to handle critical situations by themselves, who have learned how to work as part of a team, who have taken on leadership roles, and who, as a result, have gained confidence in themselves. These are the students who end up with the scholarship. These students represent Tim's vision of what high school theatre should accomplish. "They" are Tim's legacy.