by Avery Daniels Dramaturgy/Education Apprentice
I miss Heidi.
As I sit here, trying to think about the upcoming Youth Acting Program, re-writing the script for the three little pigs, and thinking about choreography for the dance I will teach, all I can think is that I miss Heidi.
My boss and mentor, Heidi Dallin has been out of the office and working from home for almost two weeks now and I am so sad without her. Even though we’ve only really worked together for two days, I feel comfortable enough signing my emails to her:
“I love and miss you…”
Because I do.
On the first day of work together it felt like Heidi and I were already old pals. We were chatting and laughing so that when we hopped in her car to scout out our booth at the Farmer’s Market, I felt totally at ease and happy. And the day only got better.
As a native here, Heidi knows everyone. I’m not kidding. She was honking at people walking their dogs, and at first I thought she was just being rude, until I realized she knew all of those people. The old guy walking his dog was suddenly Heidi’s mom’s ex-boyfriend. The man crossing the street was actually an old friend also in the theater industry. She was sticking her head out the window shouting “how are you’s” before zooming confidently down the road. She transformed the town for me. Suddenly, I wasn’t a stranger or an outsider, but the girl who worked with Heidi Dallin. I was in. And proud to be so. The farmer’s market was like a party. I met kids who will be in the YAW program this summer, I met a woman who lives just down the street from me and creates beautiful dyed clothing. I was greeted like an old friend and got the scoop on the town. And the best part…
We went wine tasting. AT WORK.
Well, we tasted a few wines while doing work…but I still got to make all the other apprentices jealous.
It’s a hard thing, moving to the other side of the country, away from everyone and everything you’ve ever known. But in two days, Heidi made it all okay. When we left for the day she gave me a hug and thanked me for making her life easier when it should have been me thanking her. She brought me into a community and made me feel entirely at ease here. Strangers aren’t strangers anymore. Now, when I see people walking their dogs, I think “I bet they know Heidi.”
*GSC Blog posts are the select opinions of individual employees and may not necessarily reflect the views of Gloucester Stage as a whole.