Old Drama Teachers Never Die

Old drama teachers never die. They live on in the memories of their students. Every role. Every show. Every tech. Today I attended the memorial service for John Blankenchip at USC. As I sat in the Bing Theatre, I might just as well have been that nineteen year old girl who sang "If I Loved You" from Carousel. The stage was smaller than I remembered....but I remembered how big it felt when I stood on it. I remembered it all. I remembered the auditions. I remembered the rehearsals. And most of all, I remembered John. Described today as a titan of theatre, I realized how lucky I was. Lucky to have been in the theatre program at USC with John. Luckier to have spent a summer in Edinburgh, Scotland for the Fringe Festival in 1979 with John. But luckiest to have chosen the path of the drama teacher like John. Correction. Lucky that the path of the drama teacher chose me. But I don't believe it was an accident. As I sat in the Bing today, I identified with John as a fellow teacher and director. And I wondered how much his influence on me subconsciously affected my choices. Today, someone said that John " forced you to do things you never thought you could do. " I believe this was true. Especially in Edinburgh where we produced thirteen shows in rep over three weeks. Someone said, "if you survived Edinburgh, you could survive anything." I wondered today, how much that apprenticeship gave me the confidence to start Tri-School Theatre. Today I sat in the Bing Theatre grateful. Grateful for the opportunities John gave me. Grateful for my parents who sent me to USC. And grateful that I used my theatre education to teach. John's legacy indeed lives through his students. John lives in me.