Prologue:
- A little grumpy
- Pissed
- Empowered
- Ready to get this party started
- The world is safe and friendly.
- I am safe.
- I am at peace with life.
- "Where I am is where I belong and where I belong is where I am because I belong to myself."
- All is well.
- I am loved.
- I am loveable.
- It is okay to be unemployed. Especially during a pandemic.
1. Walking the Walk
2. My Letter to Senator Rick Scott, Senator Marco Rubio, and Congressman John Rutherford
I am writing on behalf of my 58-year-old mother who is one of the many workers keeping essential businesses open during this time. My mother works as a store manager for Sonic Drive-In, and she is working 70+ hour work weeks and 12-14 hour days due to the influx of business. At first, restaurants were only allowed to take orders through their drive thru windows. Restaurants everywhere have been busier, but some have been able to control their influx of customers as they only have one or two drive thru windows. Sonic has 50+ drive in spots. Sales have doubled and tripled. Customers are screaming at my mother because they didn’t know they were supposed to press the red button that says, “press to order.” My mother works tirelessly on her feet all day and when she comes home, she needs her sleep to be able to go back the next day and open the store.
Unfortunately, her house is on the corner of a street that directly faces Roosevelt Boulevard, one of the busiest, loudest streets I’ve ever heard near a residential area. I believe the speed limit is 45, but most cars zoom past her house at roaring speeds that I know are much higher. Additionally, when she tries to leave the cul-de-sac where her house is, she is forced to cross half of Roosevelt Blvd to turn left, and every time she turns left it feels like she is risking her life. There are also no sidewalks, so my mother cannot enjoy the simple pleasure of going for walks around her neighborhood. My mother doesn’t ask much, and she deserves so much more. And so do all the individuals who have houses facing Roosevelt Boulevard.
So I am asking you, please consider the following possible solutions to save lives, save sleep, and build a healthier and safer Florida:
- To reduce the risk of car accidents and accidental death:
- Change the speed limit to 25mph
- Add a stop light at the intersection of Adrian Court and Roosevelt Boulevard
- Prohibit left turns off Adrian Court
- To reduce noise:
- Change the speed limit to 25mph
- Enforce the 45mph speed limit with police or speed cameras
- To increase walkability and lower obesity and diabetes risk:
- Change the speed limit to 25mph
- Add sidewalks throughout all residential areas of Florida, especially where there are bus stops
Sleep, safety, and access to sidewalks are a basic human right. I hope you agree, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
A concerned daughter and hopeful citizen,
Amy Abrigo
3. Proof that I AM FUN
4. Goodnight, Villanova Theatre
5. From Villanova Theatre to Me
Amy, you brought curiosity, joy, tenacity and a deep engagement to everything you undertook in this program, from your high standards in the classroom, to your endless invention in the studio, to your hard work and organization in the Costume Shop. You juggled the demands of the MPA certificate with delightful and inventive comic performances on stage; and you demonstrated true leadership as a vigilant champion for the underdog, lifting up those around you and spearheading this year’s community events. From Valentine's Day pancake breakfasts to Halloween Bingo, your energy and enthusiasm are contagious!
Because your nature abhors a vacuum, you directed a vibrant production of HOOKMAN for this year’s Studio Show, recruiting a phalanx of first- and second-year students to join their talents with yours. And, of course, you earned the Department’s highest acting honor – the Brian Morgan Award – as one of the very few human beings privileged to play both Bottom and Lady Bracknell in the same year.
Despite all you know already, your continued quest to broaden your knowledge and skills is deeply inspiring to us all. In the words of our beloved Chair, you are indeed “an intrepid adventurer.” Thank you for your rigor, your kindness, and your sparky sense of humor – we will miss you dearly. - Michael Hollinger
6. I Want To Be Who I Want To Be
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is important for me because I found that while I enjoyed my life, I spent most of my early career in theatre trying be whatever the workforce needed. And, that makes sense for an early-career. I was doing the best I could with what I had. I was fighting for survival as a full-time theatre artist and I was told it was impossible and that sacrifices would need to be made. I am grateful to say that is not completely true. Sacrifices can be made but making a living as a full-time theatre artist is possible and deserved.
Being a theatre artist or an artist does not mean you have to starve or live paycheck to paycheck. Thriving is possible and I intend to do so. But now I want to make the decision to live as I want to live. It is difficult and easier to say, "I have to start over again and be whatever the workforce needs me to be because of COVID-19." I could continue to make excuses and say, "well, I can't want to be an artistic director right now -- I have to focus on getting a big paying job so my parents don't have to support me." OR I could say, "You know what, they said they'd support you no matter what and maybe now IS the time to lean on them. Maybe now IS the time to stop lying to yourself and actually dedicate yourself to doing only what you love.
It's so difficult for me because I feel like being unemployed right now makes me a failure. But someone recently told me that failing does not mean you are a failure. And, even now, can I really call myself a failure the day after completing a Masters in Theatre and Certificate of Nonprofit Management from Villanova University? How the hell does that prove me a failure? Fascinating.
So, where to begin? And how can I be who I want to be if I don't know who or what that is? As in, I've never done it before (or done it so purposely before)? How do I see what might be unseeable because its never been done before? I guess I can start small. I could stop making excuses about it being so impossible and start:
- I love theatre
- I love watching and making theatre
- I love seeing the process of a show come to life from season selection to closing night
- I want to get paid a million dollars a year to watch and make theatre.
- I want to direct plays and be part of major decisions at a large theatre company.
- I want an artistic home.
- I want to work for a theatre company actively creating positive change in the world.
- I want to have a beautiful home that I own with accent colored walls and white baseboards and wooden blinds and a sun room where I can be outside without being outside.
- I want to have a partner of greatness who loves me and lifts me up.
- I want to be at my ideal weight, be fit, be strong, and have a great relationship with food and exercise.
- I want to be the next greatest American theatre director.
- I want to inspire people daily.
- I want to work for an organization dedicated to helping people in their early careers that sees their institution as an educational environment that seeks to build people into their best selves.
- I want to live in a comfortable climate where the weather is beautiful and the greenery is flourishing.
- I want to travel once a year for fun and explore the world I live in.
- I want to go to Harry Potter Studios in London, UK.
- I want to meet Emma Rice. And Paula Vogel. And Lauren Yee.
- I want to go to Japan with Josey for a month and see Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in concert.
- I want to see Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga in concert.
- I want to see every Harry Potter movie with a live symphony orchestra.
- I want to be a paid subscriber to at least three theatres, a symphony, and the San Antonio Spurs.
- I want to visit home and family twice a year.
- I want to have an arts and crafts room.
- I want to have a home office.
- I want to have boundaries.
- I want to have work hours.
- I want to be able to spend time with my family without a phone call interrupting us.
- I want to be able to safely and peacefully place my phone on silent.
- I want to be able to not respond to an email for 48 hours without something burning down.
- I want to make art that brings people joy.
- I want to buy myself beautiful clothes that fit me because I can and I deserve them.
- I want to be able to see the magic in my own life without needing to find it in Harry Potter.
- I want a friend like Winnie the Pooh.
- I want a husband who looks and loves like Rafael Solano.
- I want to get a cake from Hagrid every year on my birthday.
- I want to stand up and speak up for myself.
- I want to be able to say no with ease.
- I want to ice skate at Rockefeller Center.
- I want to visit Disney World for a month without being forced to get on any rides.
- I want to have a deep sense of community with my collaborators.
- I want to visit London every year.
- I want to be surrounded by love, kindness, and generosity.
- I want to be loved and feel loveable.
- I want to be free to be my entire self.
- I want to celebrate and feel empowered and proud when others say I am "so weird."