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School Musical Play,
The Olympia Schools - 2024-2025
Most people only see the spotlight when they talk about a school musical — the stage, the costumes, the applause. But I learned more from the shadows than the stage.
As Head of Finance for our high school production of The Man Who Laughs, I didn’t stand in front of the audience. I stood behind the curtain — making sure there could be an audience.
Every costume, every set piece, every ticket printed was a decision I had to weigh. At first, it felt like pressure — how could I balance creativity with responsibility? But somewhere between negotiating sponsorships and calculating budgets at midnight, I realized something powerful:
Art doesn’t survive on passion alone — it survives on structure.
Theatre taught me that leadership isn’t always center stage. Sometimes it’s the quiet steadiness that allows others to shine. It’s saying yes to someone’s vision, not by clapping, but by making sure they have the means to build it.On opening night, as the lights dimmed and the first note rang out, no one in the audience knew how many spreadsheets were behind that moment. But I did.
And for the first time, I understood:
There are leaders who perform, and there are leaders who prepare the stage. Both are essential — but I discovered I am the kind who builds the stage strong enough for others to stand on.
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