Austin's Journey to Houston - Week 7

Danté Anderson as Austin (image capture from video)

NOTE: Carol Foose, a 2016-17 GSP Educational Touring Theatre cast member, has returned this season to join the cast of Austin the Unstoppable, which is currently touring Houston schools and organizations through a grant provided by Novo Nordisk in conjunction with its Changing Cities Diabetes program. During the next few weeks, we will be sharing Carol's thoughts from Houston as she chronicles her experiences on the tour. Below is the seventh installment.

“What are your aspirations?” asked a fourth-grade student during the post-play discussion on Monday, November 6.

Whew!  What a big question to start the week off with. As I heard my castmates going down the line, explaining their biggest dreams and goals, I couldn’t help but smile. It’s not every morning when you’re lucky enough to reflect on your hopes, what you’re working towards.

As I explained to this bright-eyed fourth-grader, I want to spread joy and a craving for truth through theater — what I believe to be one of the most compassionate forms of art. I want to give a voice to something that otherwise wouldn’t have one. I hope to inspire empathy in others and empower my audiences. I hope that when I say goodbye to a person, I have filled them with even just an ounce of joy that maybe they can pass along to the next person they encounter, and so on and so forth.

I kept thinking about this question for the rest of the week, finding places where maybe I was resisting my own aspirations, or craving opportunities to better myself so I can be more available to live out my dreams.  

I am very grateful for this opportunity to have met such wonderful students who keep me on my toes and inspire me by demanding greatness within themselves. I think there is so much to be learned from children and feel so lucky to be encouraged daily by their laughter.

Our nine performances flew by this week! Our total tally is up to 42 performances. Aside from our time onstage, we enjoyed exploring more of Houston’s hidden treasures. We visited the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, George Bush Park, Cullinan Park in Sugarland (Erica Leigh and I saw an armadillo in the wild there!), the Japanese Gardens, Velvet Taco, and of course, revisited our favorite: Killen’s BBQ.

We are making most of the short time we have in Houston, and I look forward to sharing our final adventures!