Anyone who has talked to me for more than ten minutes knows that musical theatre is a passion of mine. So, it had been my dream for a very long time to go to New York, and Broadway, and experience some of these shows the way they were meant to be seen. Although I have seen great productions of many shows in Toronto, Ottawa and other places, there is something about the word "Broadway" that sends a special chill down your spine. My need to go to New York was even greater after one of my best friends got to go in April of 1998. She called me every night (I was in the middle of studying for exams!) to tell me the great time she was having and the amazing things she was doing. I decided then and there that the next time she went back, I was going with her. So, a lot of factors came together in February of 1999 (we had our reading weeks/spring breaks together, Titanic was closing, Rex Smith had joined the cast of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Brent Carver was starring in Parade, among other things!) and, along with another of my closest friends, Tara, we hit the big city for three days. This page was born out of that trip, as a way for me to share the adventures the three of us had.

While we were in New York, Stacy went for an interview with Livent, for an internship this summer with their PR department (and I'll skip the nearly obligatory jokes about Livent needing all the PR it can get! :-). No one really expected her to get it (including her) since it was a total shot in the dark, so we were all thrilled when they called her and offered her the position. She accepted, and I began planning a second trip to New York to visit her. :-) Again, several factors came together, the most important being that our good friend Melanie, whom I had never met, was going to be visiting Stacy at the end of May, 1999. (The Scarlet Pimpernel was also closing then, and Lea Salonga was starring in Miss Sagion.) So I packed up and headed down once more. This trip was less of a sightseeing trip and more of a visit with Melanie and Stacy, and a theatre intensive trip (I was never anywhere in the city besides Stacy's apartment and the theatre district!). I had a blast, again, and I knew there was no turning back. The city was in my blood.

It took me longer to get back to the city than I had intended or wanted. But then September 11 happened. Like the rest of the world, I was shocked and horrified and devastated. I have such a love for that city, and to see it in despair was heartbreaking for me. I was particularly worried about the theatre in New York - it seemed for awhile that Broadway would not be able to recover. Shows were closing left and right, and even the most popular ones were struggling with ticket sales. Stacy and I had been planning a trip already, and we decided we needed more than ever to go and show our support for the city and the theatre. It was an amazing trip. We saw five shows in a little less than 48 hours, literally running from theatre to theatre on Saturday and squeezing in three shows (which is honestly what I think Heaven must be like :-). The highlights for me were seeing Rebecca Luker (a goddess) and Robert Sean Leonard in The Music Man, and fulfilling a dream I've had for more than ten years by seeing Terrence Mann on stage. And just being in the city and experiencing that time in the history of New York was something that was very important to me, and very moving.

My next trip was in July, 2002. It was a new experience for me, because I ended up being the "old hand" in New York, and showing other people around (instead of just following Stacy across Times Square!). I wanted to go and see several shows, and my mother and grandmother decided they would like to go with me. They had both been to NYC, but not for many, many years, and were very excited to make the trip. It was an interesting trip, because we did more sightseeing than I would have done if I had gone by myself, but I really enjoyed experiencing the city in a new way with new people. I managed to sneak in three shows (they saw two) and loved them all.

And most recently, I pampered myself and celebrated finishing my masters program with a flying trip to the city between moving out of my apartment in London, Ontario, finishing school, finishing my job as a teaching assistant, moving into an apartment in Ottawa, and starting a new job at the National Library of Canada. Only I would try to go to New York City in the six days I had to accomplish all that. :-) But two of my top-five favourite actors were treading the boards at the same time, in roles I think they were both perfect for, so another trip just had to happen.

And next? Who knows?