Legally Bawling My Eyes Out

It makes complete sense that it has taken me three months to write a blog post on my time being a part of our production of Legally Blonde the Musical. I have been in love with this musical since middle school and seriously always dreamed of being a part of the ensemble one day, so when I found out it was the musical for this year, I did indeed legally bawl my eyes out. It’s all things happy and hilarious, all things musical and meaningful. It finds that balance between not taking itself too seriously and making sure it emphasizes essential issues.

 

 

The production: ACT is a student-run organization. This means that students are the producers, directors, stage managers, and more.  It is the students who truly put on the show. Legally Blonde the Musical was probably one of their largest projects yet, as everything in this musical is quite over the top and extravagant. We had the most hard-working, talented students ever working on the show and they are the reason it was such a success!

 

 

The cast: This was the sweetest cast I’ve ever been a part of. I’ve done musical theater since the first grade and those casts were definitely sweet as well, but this cast of LB was amazing. There were only five seniors a part of the cast/production, so the majority of the cast were underclassmen. In some cases, that could have caused a divide between these various students, but it was the most welcoming, most accepting cast. Our group chat is still used every week, even though the musical has been over for months.

 

 

The outcome: Knowing that this musical would take all of our effort to pull off, our director, Emma Callahan ’18, had rehearsals starting as early as late September. So when February rolled around, we all felt super prepared to put on five shows. The show sold out within two days and each night had that electric energy that only comes with live shows.

Even as I write this, I haven’t yet watched Act 2 of the video recording they sent us. I think once I watch the whole thing, the finality of it being over (and senior year rapidly coming to an end) will hit me hard.

So, I’ll just reread this blog a bunch of times and probably watch the second act in August and then put on a one-woman production of the whole thing for my friends and family back home — what, like it’s hard?

Baltimore

Hi, guys.

This blog post will definitely have a different feel from my others. As many know, hundreds of thousands of people have reacted to the death of Freddie Gray in numerous ways. For Baltimore, many (but not all) reacted with violence, rioting, and looting.

Situations were so intense that the National Guard had to step in and a curfew was declared in the city. However, the pleas that “Black Lives Matter” still rightly-so resounded across the world, across the Holy Cross campus.

This afternoon, a prayer was held by the campus ministry leaders and chaplains outside of Hogan. It was a simple program, one that got directly to the point. We stood there, students and faculty, praying and hoping for justice. We wanted justice not only in Baltimore, but everywhere.

Here is a section from the Invitation to Pledge we all read aloud:

“WE pledge to examine our own biases and positions of privilege through self-reflection, and earnestly work to resolve them.

WE pledge to live by compassion and be consciously inclusive of all individuals.

WE pledge to affirm the value of diversity.

WE pledge to promote understanding, inclusion, and mutual respect, and thus build community within all races, ethnicities, and cultures.

WE pledge to transform our institutions into authentically anti-racist and anti-oppressive communities of action.

WE pledge to advocate for justice, demand equal opportunity for all and so help create a beloved community for everyone to share.”

I have the program and pictures attached below. The photos do not accurately display how many people were gathered today. 

 

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