The Washington County Arts Council offered a $500 scholarship to a graduating Washington County Senior pursuing a college degree in one of the Fine Arts.  The winner was determined by an essay on how the Arts has or will influence the course of his or her life. By encouraging students in the study of the Arts, the WCAC hopes to contribute to the development of future artists or an appreciation for the arts which insures future audiences.  Here is the winning submission by Sarah Lovins.

The Theater- My Life

By Sarah Lovins

     Through the course of my life, theater has played a large role. As a child I sang whatever I could, spoke bits from movies to whoever would listen and imagined myself to be everything from a kitten to a night-lurking vampire. Theater has also taught me more than I thought possible. It taught me to be who I am today and to live uninhibited by fear or rejection. Most of all theater has taught me that to succeed in what I do,  I should apply what I do to my life in all aspects.
     To be an actress is to know whom I am portraying. To successfully portray another I have to know who I am by pushing my limits and understanding what it is I like and dislike. As a thespian, I have experienced a vast array of music, literature and people. I have learned what kinds of music and literature I like and the type of people I feel best around. Theater has gifted me with the best friends I’ve ever known, all brought together by the common interest of performance. I’ve also had the privilege of meeting people involved with other drama programs and have been able to find common ground with them. This has helped me to learn to build new relationships and helped me to gain what I think to be a friendly approach to others. Also by becoming another character, I learn to see things through the eye of another, which teaches me the valuable lesson of diplomacy. All that I am today is built from what I have learned about myself with the help of my theater training.
     I am standing on stage; the lights go up as I start to sing my solo for my first leading role. I start to sing my song and suddenly, I go blank. In a split second, I make the decision not to freeze but to stay in character and after a few seconds pick up with the rest of the song. My worst fear lived. This describes the circumstances that fell upon me in my junior year as I played Sarah Brown in the musical “Guys and Dolls”. Luckily I realized that my worst fear isn’t so bad, in fact, it’s livable. Another thing theater has taught me is to live uninhibited by fear or rejection. I could have stood there until the music stopped or even run from the stage, but I now know that the show must go on and running away from a problem is no way to take it head on. With this approach I have gained complete self-confidence and that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
     For our Fall 2007 production, my drama group performed the musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”. The casting process was wrought with excitement, disappointment and stress. After casting, the characters took it upon themselves to construct costumes and props. The  boy   who was to play Linus a day after being cast, brought the signature blue blanket he would use in the play. Throughout the six weeks that we worked on the play, the blanket went everywhere with “Linus”. In the lunchroom he would be seen eating with the blanket under his food, he would use it as a wrap on cold days and he would sit on it whenever the situation called for it. By opening night, the blanket was filthy, exactly as a security blanket of a five year old should be. As he played his part, the boy became Linus. To this day, he sleeps with the blanket claiming that it is his inspiration for all characters he plays because it stood for his favorite and most successful role. This experience taught me that whenever I do something I need to immerse myself and through that I will be successful.

     “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. “ When Shakespeare spoke these immortal words, he knew exactly what he was talking about. Theater teaches us about life and in a way, influences what we do, say and sometimes even believe. The goose bumps we get from a good song or a memorable quote are the things that change our lives. Just like Linus with his blanket, I want to immerse myself in that which inspires me most and has completely changed my life. Who I am, how I live and what I do, are all influenced by the life lessons that theater has taught me.

Sarah Lovins is a graduating senior at Chipley High School. She is the daughter of Dennis & Janet Lovins of Gilberts Mill Rd in Chipley. Sarah  will receive a $500 scholarship from the Washington County Arts Council  for her  essay to continue her Theater studies at the Collegiate level. This Award will be presented at Senior Awards Day in May and is made possible by your generous contributions to the Washington County Arts Council. Congratulations Sarah!