Many view summer as a time to kick back, relax, go on a vacation, read a good book, etc.

Not me.

Last summer, my first home from college, was difficult. I missed my new college friends and all the independence and opportunities that came with being at college. The dynamic between my friends here in Wooster had changed, which resulted in all of us hanging out less and less. And although I had a full-time internship, my evenings were left entirely free, which sounds wonderful to many, but usually left me sitting at home refreshing Facebook repeatedly.

If you can’t tell, I like to stay busy. With classes, extracurricular activities, my job with Edge, and studying, college allows me to stay that way. In order to make this summer more successful, I knew I had to find something to do with my evenings.

Enter “Annie,” stage right.

This year is the first in a long time that my hometown of Wooster has had a community theatre production. I was elated when I found out that a musical was going to be put on, and as soon as I found out it was “Annie,” I set out to audition. Ultimately, I ended up with the part of Drake, Mr. Warbucks’ butler.

Though “Annie” was not a musical I was overly familiar with before, I’ve become quite fond of both the musical itself and our production of it. Being in this production has given me so many wonderful opportunities, including meeting lots of awesome people, participating in my second musical and getting to perform on stage with my mom, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

It’s also helped this summer fly by. It’s hard to believe that (as of writing this,) we open in just a few days and I move back to college in just under a month. While I’ll miss getting to see family and friends at home, and all of the people I’ve met while being in “Annie,” I’m ready to get back into the swing of things at Gannon.

“Annie” has taught me many valuable lessons such as “The sun will come out tomorrow” and “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” But the most important thing I’ve learned is that no matter where you are – at college, at home or across the world – as long as you’re doing something you love with people you love, you’ll always be busy having fun.

Matt 🙂