My Very Own If/Then | THE BROADWAY BEAT

THEATER: My Very Own If/Then  THE BROADWAY BEAT

Last year, Idina Menzel (Frozen, Wicked) starred in a musical called If/Then, a show about the little choices we make every day, which, if decided differently, would have a massive effect on our lives.  We all have If/Then moments, whether we are conscious of them or not.  I was all set for a career in Marketing & Advertising when a few If/Then moments steered me towards being a Producer.  There was one If/Then moment at the very beginning of this shift, which I will never forget.

It all started during a task we all do every day – getting dressed in the morning.  It was the first week of freshman year at Johns Hopkins, and I woke up (probably around 12:00pm) to go to the extracurricular activities fair.  I threw on the first t-shirt I saw, which was a bright yellow “Quaker Ridge Elementary School” shirt.

I got to the fair, and as I roamed the aisles of various clubs, from acrobatics to zorbing, I heard someone call out, “Hey, You. In the Quaker Ridge Shirt!” I turned around and walked towards his table.  He was a senior named Jack, and he called out to me because he too had gone to Quaker Ridge Elementary.  Our conversation that day resulted in my involvement with Witness Theater, the all-student theater company on campus, and the group that I eventually became President of.

But what if I had not worn that t-shirt that day?  What if I had woken up a half hour later, and Jack’s shift at the table was over?  What if Jack was caught up in conversation with someone else, or tying his shoe when I walked by?  Would I have found Witness?  Would I have become the President of a Theater Group?  Would I be a producer today?  I cannot say for sure, but what I can say is that my involvement in Witness is what set me up for my switch to a producing career.

I hope that your If/Then moments have as significant of an effect on you as they have for me.  Remember that no decision is too small to have a profound and lasting effect on your life.  Always be open to the adventure your t-shirt may have in store for you today.