22 Stars

CCM's Class of 2029 Gives Me Hope

Turn on the news for five minutes. Tell me you’re not exhausted.

But this afternoon’s Freshmxn Showcase re-energized me in a way I didn’t expect.

I never miss this show. It’s my first official introduction to these students, a chance to see who they are before I watch them grow and develop over the next four years. But it’s also a chance to surround myself with youthfulness; not just the students on stage, but also the upperclassmen who come to support them.

What I saw today reminded me, urgently, of something I’d started to forget.

This year’s theme was “Constellations.” The conceit was mostly about their grouping, their community, the way they form something legible together. But also, there was some focus on the guidance they’d gotten from their parents, their mentors, and each other.

What’s most intriguing about this piece is that these 22 students wrote, choreographed, and directed this show themselves. Faculty advisors Steve Goers and Rachel Stevens were there to help them if they needed it, but this was the students’ work — this year, even some of the musical arrangements came from within the class.

Yes, these are talented performers. It’s CCM; that’s a given. The thing that stuck with me as I walked out of the theatre, though, was the absence of anger.

There’s a version of a show about inclusion and diversity and the breadth of human experience that carries a chip on its shoulder. That version is understandable. That version is sometimes even necessary. But that wasn’t what this was. These students — representing cultures from across the globe — celebrated their differences with a clarity and an openness that felt almost radical. The cultural dance sequence near the end was inspired. The vocal harmonies, more prominent this year than I’ve heard before, magnified their collaborative spirit.

Goers introduced the show by noting that these 22 students — many of them, for the first time in their lives, surrounded by 21 equally talented peers — had to learn to make room for each other. That requires more than humility.

I return to the Freshmxn showcase every year for the obvious reasons: the excellence, the craft, the sheer level of preparation these students bring to the stage. But what I actually love — what I carve out time for — is this. The way their kindness shines through the performance. The way young people, just now stepping into adulthood, can look at the world we’ve handed them and still choose openness over defensiveness.

Maybe things aren’t as bleak as it feels.

Kirk Sheppard writes about Cincinnati theatre—but mostly about being human. Check out kirksheppard.com for more information.