The Official Post

The Official Post: You know you're going to a good place with good people when you message one of the twelve cast/conservatory members you're going to be in school with and you basically say, can I copy your post? And they say yes! Most of this is composed by the sweet Ellie Faggion, my other fellow Carolina Girl, but I edited the parts that are personal to me but I thought it presents it all so well so that you can be educated on what this upcoming year of Ministry will look like for me. Thanks Ellie for the well organized, thoughtful, detailed post and for sharing.

What is the Sight & Sound Conservatory?

The gorgeous theatre in PA!

The Sight & Sound Conservatory is a very unique musical theatre school within the larger company of Sight & Sound Theatres. Sight& Sound is forty years old, is the largest faith-based live theatre in the country, and has been described by many as "Christian Broadway." They have two theatres, one in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and another in Branson, Missouri. I’ll be going to their theatre in PA!

Sight & Sound is a professional company—they pay their actors (around 40 to a cast), have state-of-the-art technology, top-notch production quality, have live animals in all their shows, a 300-foot wide stage that curves around three sides of the room, and a two thousand seat auditorium! There are eleven shows a week and their productions (typically two a year) run March through December! Not only that, but all their shows are Bible stories AND musicals!

 

The 2,000 seat auditorium!

There’s so much more I could say about this amazing theatre company! If you’d like to know more or see media from their shows, you can check out their website: www.sight-sound.com.

The Sight & Sound Conservatory is a very different approach to learning the craft of musical theatre.

Starting in January, 2017, I will be one of twelve students that daily participate in both classroom instruction and “performance internship”. Tuesday through Friday, I will have a number of classes focused specifically on musical theatre craft. This includes classes in singing, dancing, and acting, but also theatre history, stage combat, stage horsemanship, and more! We'll also be preparing pieces for a student showcase at the end of the year. Between classes, I will participate in two shows a day (three on Saturday) once Sight & Sound’s season begins in March. This means I’ll be on-stage or in class ten hours a day, Tuesday through Saturday! This is the primary reason I will be unable to earn significant, consistent income once I’m in PA.

 

The giant whale used in "Jonah"

I am SO excited that I will be able to perform as an ensemble member in S&S’s productions of “Jonah” running from March 11^th-October 14^th and “Miracle of Christmas” running from November 3^rd-December 30^th. Tickets are already on sale at the Sight & Sound website!

As a student, I will not be paid like the majority of the cast. However the opportunity to perform as an amateur actor in professional theatre, ten times a week for months on end, is enough in itself! But we will also receive a certificate upon completing the program and have the chance to audition for the company if we so desire. (which I do!)

To learn more about the Conservatory, visit this website:

http://shows.sight-sound.com/StaticContent/ssconservatory/

You can also watch a video about the Conservatory below:

Why did you decide to attend the Conservatory? My Story. (Ha- Ellie did not write this part!)

 

I am a 30 year old single Christian woman who currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina.  I was born and raised in Mooresville, NC. I went to college with some of my connections that are now currently in Lancaster, PA at a Christian Liberal Arts school in Due West, SC; Erskine College. There I studied Voice and Special Education. I went on to move to Charleston, SC and teach special education in an elementary school district for five years. Even when I was studying Special Education at Erskine, I wasn't quite convinced that I wanted to be a teacher. I honestly just didn't know what else to do with my life and like a blind wanderer, I graduated and started my career as a teacher. All I knew was that I loved people with special needs and I loved music. At that point in my life, I considered performing but I weighed over 300 pounds and was extremely insecure and felt like pursuing a career in musical or theatre was "irresponsible" for whatever reason. I listened a lot of to "reasonable" voices and even some nay-sayers and choice a predictable, stable 9 to 5 career as a teacher. After my very first day teaching, I knew it wasn't for me. I called my mom in teachers many a day during my first year asking her if I could quit and just move home.  I decided to push through for 5 years so that my loans would be forgiven. Though it was 5 of the most challenging years of my life, I grew so much as a person during that time while teaching and pursing other endeavors that shaped me and molded me into who I am.  After that I transitioned and am currently working in a rehab setting helping people with disabilities get power wheelchairs and advocate for their mobility needs.

All my life, my dream has been to sing and perform but as a young adult emerging into the real word, I think most of us feel pressured to make a different decisions with our career paths than what we truly are passionate about, excited for or even created for to pursue those seemingly more stable, dependable, responsible or other admirable things.  I went that direction and found myself very unsatisfied and in a constant state of wondering "what if."  I found myself pursuing a variety of things just grasping for and desperate for finding the right "fit" for me.  I truly struggled with feeling lost and feeling so broken and inadequate in everything I tried. I knew for a fact that the Lord gifted me with my voice and that it was nothing I conjured up on my own. I imaged myself to be in a completely different place at age 30 than I am in my current reality. I thought by now that I would be married and would not only have a child but have multiple children. I also did not pursue my dream of performing because of my desire to have a family.  The Lord has not seen fit to allow that part of my life to come to fruition so at this time I am trusting this dream and calling that he has put inside of me that has flourished into such a passion of mine. 

For many years, I was in and out of manipulative, abusive, toxic relationships and just seeking attention/validation through things that were not Christ honoring. My heart was quick to become an idol making factory. Once I fled that situation, I started attending a bible believing church and attending biblical counseling which is where scripture came to life to me for the first time in my relationship with Christ. After that, I put myself in a position to serve my church by singing in the church choir and that is when the Lord started opening some amazing doors and made it very clear to me what I was created to do. That was a little over a year ago and the Lord's faithfulness has been abundantly apparent as I have been seeking to honor him with my gifts and talents.

For many years, I have changed directions here and there based on the direction (and misdirection) of others, chasing the approval or expectations of others, and sometimes just not doing what is best for me (or even what's best for other people.) I am thankful to finally be confident in who I am, confident in my gifts and talents and confident in the Lord's sovereignty to open or close any door he needs to.

In 2014 and 2015, the Lord started radically doing some amazing things in my life. When I started attending East Cooper Baptist Church, I felt the Holy Spirit resonate to me that He was going to restore my life with the goodness of his people and he has done just that. He gave me a free place to live for 5 months, gave me a handful of godly, supportive, super fun girlfriends/roommates who support me like It's their dream and opened so many doors.  Since then I have participated in shows here in the Charleston theatre community, been hired to sing around SC at churches and various venues, and spent the summer studying at the CAP21 Musical Theatre Conservatory. When I auditioned for sight and sound, the Lord provided a free flight through an incredible woman of the Lord buying my fight with her frequent flier miles. The Lord provided transportation to and from the airport and a place to stay through a lovely college friend who lives near Lancaster, PA. He definitely made it happen! I wouldn't have been able to even consider auditioning due to finances and he graciously provided through his people. And now.. I'm in. I've been accepted and I am just expecting Him to graciously work again and again because without Him, this is in no way going to happen.

I chose sight & sound because at age 30, I have been teaching and I have been sitting behind a desk since I graduated college in 2008. It's been a long time since I've danced, acted, performed in this aspect in a very long time. I needed some freshening up so I figured a internship type conservatory program would be best plus I love the Lord! What better place to get some intense training and experience than Sight & Sound! Honestly, God knows best because the insecure, lost Blair Christie that graduated college had no clue who she was and especially had no clue what kind of God she served. She wasn't ready to chase her dream. God knew I needed to walk through the things I went through to prepare me for this and this adventurer is beyond ready to say yes to this ministry and to this journey trusting Christ will make a way.



What will you do after the Conservatory?

As of right now, my plan is to audition for Sight & Sound as one of their paid performers and obviously, HOPE to be hired either for the PA or Missouri theatre. If not, I plan to pray about looking into regional theatres in areas such as Philly, Seattle, DC or even Lancaster where I can start earning my equity card. I would love to work in a Christian theatre setting but I also love the idea of representing the Lord well in a secular setting as well as getting to do secular musicals. I trust the Lord to open the right doors at the right time. The main goal is to not compare my journey to anyone else's journey and trust Him each day!

Details, please?

Lord willing and tuition pending, I will be moving to the beautiful Lancaster, Pennsylvania in early January 2017 to forgo a income-less year of ministry, learning and musical theatre. The program lasts one calendar year, so I will be in Pennsylvania from January through December of 2017.

Live animals on stage!

Since the program is based out of a professional theatre and not a university campus, I will need to find my own place to stay while I’m there. Due to not having a job, I have been praying for and am looking for a host family type situation for a year or multiple families that would piece together stays that will make up the year.

 

My living expenses for the year will include rent (if a host family doesn't come through) food, health insurance (super basic/catastrophic), car needs, and other daily expenses and tuition.

 

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN!

The amazing Lancaster landscape!

I am currently working my full time job as a rehab coordinator and just started a part time job at Verde to save for my tuition. I have incredible roommates/best friends that are moving into a 2 bed room next month and are going to let me crash with them for my remaining months in Charleston to allow me to save money. In addition, I am literally selling most of my belongings to try to come up with all my expenses. Peanut butter, rice and beans have also become a staple in my diet to save money.

People have asked about/recommended a go-fund me. At this point and with previous support, I am delaying doing that but if push comes to shove I will probably set one up around November if finances need a push.  If you do feel compelled to give even if it's just a little, you can send either cash or check, or send money online through PayPal, Cash App or Venmo. You can send anything to Blair Christie PO Box 12383 Charleston SC 29422.  Message me for other info if you want to use other paying sources.  There will be no fees this way, while a fundraising company such as GoFundMe takes a percentage of donations for handling fees.

Thank you for reading! Thank you for giving, if you feel led! Most importantly, I ask that you please pray for me. Pray for me to bold, brave and confident in the God who is the creator of the universe to provide all my needs.  I am so excited to see the Lord provide, to experience this, and to grow ultimately more in his likeness and prayerfully impact people through loving them well in his name for His glory through my life, my learning and praise God even through musical theater!!!