I have decided to dedicate my life to my one true passion: language. I fell in love with words early on. From the time I learned how to read at 4 years old, I carried a book with me everywhere I went, and I still do.
My journey from a young kindergartener in love with chapter books to a professional theater artist has been an interesting one. I was all about theater from elementary school all the way up until my senior year of high school. I came into college as a theater major, but I changed courses soon after first semester. I found that I had virtually grown bored of theater and saw it as a chore more than a passion. I wasn’t enjoying my classes anymore. I decided to switch into the School of Communications with a concentration in film.
I found a new freedom, both mentally and physically. The film department demanded a lot less of my time and I was able to explore my passions. I rediscovered my love for writing and decided to declare my minor as playwriting.
From my very first class in my minor, I was hooked. I enjoyed the entire process of writing plays, especially crafting characters. Being in those classes reminded me of the joy and excitement I felt when I saw a play I had written for the first time on stage. There’s no way I could explain the euphoria I feel when I watch characters I create on paper come to life through real humans on stage. It’s a feeling like no other.
I have already gotten two paid commissions. One was for a Black History Month play. I decided to write about the 16th Street Birmingham Church bombing. I got great reviews from everyone who watched and the kids in the show loved it, too! The other commission, I wrote about a high school senior living in a conservative town. He’s in the closet and is contemplating suicide because everyone at his school recently found out that he is gay. That one earned me a standing ovation and a huge kiss on the cheek from my grandmother.
I’m so grateful to have something I care so much about. Writing is my favorite activity in the entire world. I love the way we can use language to communicate in any way that we want. It has proved to be therapeutic and even healing for me because I’m able to be vulnerable in a way that no other medium allows. I can spill my heart on the page and it will touch everyone in a unique way.
Around The Way with Alexsis 