Las Vegas
March 11th- March 17th
Theme of the week: LGTBQIA+
Claire LeFevre
1 Full Show, 1 School Show, 1 Acoustic Promo
Aaron (Colorado), Michael (Belgium), Angelis (Bermuda), Fiona (Maine), Grace (Arizona), Ivy (Texas), Leah (Pennsylvania), Leo (France), Nasya (Bermuda), Patrick (Wisconsin), Spencer (Colorado), Wouty (Belgium)
3-11-19 Monday
Travel Day!!! The cast had a 10 hour bus ride through Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. The drive was gorgeous with all the canyons, hills, and mountains out the window. I sat next to Anna on the bus and I really got to connect with her! We stopped twice along the way to stretch and then finally arrived at the Desert Oasis High School. I got to see Jai Yu when we arrived as well!!! The school marching band and cheerleading squad welcomed us off the bus. I saw my allocation card and had a mini heart attack... I have 13 roommates this week. The acoustic group has a performance before hours and then a crew has to stay up late to set up the stage. This poor lady has to take care of 13 people the entire week. It is truly insane, but also one of those experiences I'll never forget. Getting all of us and our luggage home took 3 different cars. Then we went to In and Out Burgers where she had to spend a fortune for all of us to eat. When we got home, we saw air mattresses laid out all over the house along with twin/queen/king beds. There is only one shower for all of us to use so we started assigning 5 minute time slots for showers at night and in the morning. This is absolutely insane, but at least it's with some of my closest friends.
3-12-19 Tuesday
Today I had workshops at David Cox Elementary School. We did personal flags and WAMWAO for two classrooms of Kingergarten and Third Grade. Then Isac, Tzvi, Virginie, Toto, Sophie, and Nadine went for a walk outside and it was beautiful weather. We walked past palm trees with the sun on our faces!! It was a nice change of pace. At night, we went to a Rock of Ages concert. Leah's Uncle got our huge allocation free tickets to see a live band playing classic 80's music. Spencer, Grace, Leah, and I were in the front VIP row jammin!! The band gave Up with People a shout out at the end of their performance and we went crazy. Then we got to see Hard Rock Casino, and a little bit of the Las Vegas strip!! It was an epic night.
3-13-19 Wednesday
Today I volunteered at a food bank called three square. This center is massive and feeds over 200,000 families around the area of Las Vegas. I sacked potatoes, carrots, and apples into little bags that get sent home with kids at school who don't have secure meals at home. I worked with Frank all day and really got closer to him. Then we had a quest speaker come for the LGTBQ hot topic and I skipped it to got for a walk with people who share my view points. We talked for a long time, and it was really nice to not feel alone in my beliefs. Nasya shared with the cast that he is going home tomorrow. Luckily he is my roommate this week so I could properly say goodbye to him. At night, we all sang while Spencer played the guitar and enjoyed our time together.
3-16-19 Saturday
Show Day!!!! In the morning, I was practicing with the band and we started jamming to classic rock songs from the 80's. After lunch, I was a section leader for the sopranos to teach the Mexican Medley. The cast needs a lot more practice with it, but we will get there soon enough. Today God showed up in my life more than ever before. All week, I was really disappointed that my entire family was going to be at a show where I wasn't singing anything. Then, Julia got sick and couldn't sing as Hope. Leah pulled Gabbie as the back up and had her practicing. I saw an opportunity to play hope for the show that my family was coming to, and I jumped on it. Leah was on board and helped me make it happen. During rehearsal Gabbie sang all the hope moments, so I thought that she was going to do it in the show, but then they ran Keep Hope Alive twice so I could sing it. The show team decided that I could sing Hope because they needed someone who was 100 percent ready to fill in for Julia. Momo talked to me and reviewed all the new blocking for Hope. I was a little stressed because I had never done the blocking for hope, the transitions from piano to hope moments, and the new rundown. But, I really wanted to prove that I could make it all work together smoothly. Momo also told me that this was probably the only time that I will be able to play Hope for the rest of the semester. I can't believe that the one time Julia got sick was the show that 14 family members were in the audience. God is truly so good. I cried out of happiness and excitement. During front of house, I got to see my family for the first time since Christmas and it was really nice. They were guests in green room and then got seats in the house. I hadn't told them that I was actually singing, so when I opened the show, they were surprised. It felt so good to be singing, playing a big role in the show, and being a part of the band all in one show. I was nailing every new blocking, and especially the end of Keep Hope Alive. This new cast has never actually heard me sing and their reactions were priceless. My friends from last semester kept coming up to me and telling me how much they missed me signing. It was really reassuring to hear amazing compliments from everyone. Most of all, it felt amazing to be back, even if it was just for one show. All of the struggling in staging all paid off in this very show. This show mattered the most because my family was there, and I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to sing and play! I am so glad that I auditioned for the band, and also had the opportunity to prove myself this semester. After the show, I went up to Todd, Jenny, Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and Dad and they were all crying. This was the moment were I had a overwhelming sense of peace, accomplishment, and pride. They were all really impacted by the message and it was amazing to have all their support. Then I went to the Hotel with my family on the strip of Las Vegas. It was an emotionally challenging day, but also so rewarding.
3-17-19 Sunday
Host Family Day!! Today I got to wake up in a hotel with my real family surrounding me!! We went to the hot tub first thing in the morning. Then the family drove to the Hoover Dam. It was really interesting, and I was glad to check that off the bucket list. We continued driving all the way to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Another thing to check off! There was a Sky Walk where we could walk on glass over the deep canyon. We got to hike, visit look outs, and take many pictures. It was quality family time spent in the car ride, and the outdoors. When we got back to our hotel, we decided to go to Fremont Street for St. Patricks Day! There were interesting sights and smells forsure... Tali was a bit traumatized. We got dinner at a Chinese place and then went back to the hotel. I am sad that the time was so short, but I will see them all again in June!
Today I had workshops at David Cox Elementary School. We did personal flags and WAMWAO for two classrooms of Kingergarten and Third Grade. Then Isac, Tzvi, Virginie, Toto, Sophie, and Nadine went for a walk outside and it was beautiful weather. We walked past palm trees with the sun on our faces!! It was a nice change of pace. At night, we went to a Rock of Ages concert. Leah's Uncle got our huge allocation free tickets to see a live band playing classic 80's music. Spencer, Grace, Leah, and I were in the front VIP row jammin!! The band gave Up with People a shout out at the end of their performance and we went crazy. Then we got to see Hard Rock Casino, and a little bit of the Las Vegas strip!! It was an epic night.
3-13-19 Wednesday
Today I volunteered at a food bank called three square. This center is massive and feeds over 200,000 families around the area of Las Vegas. I sacked potatoes, carrots, and apples into little bags that get sent home with kids at school who don't have secure meals at home. I worked with Frank all day and really got closer to him. Then we had a quest speaker come for the LGTBQ hot topic and I skipped it to got for a walk with people who share my view points. We talked for a long time, and it was really nice to not feel alone in my beliefs. Nasya shared with the cast that he is going home tomorrow. Luckily he is my roommate this week so I could properly say goodbye to him. At night, we all sang while Spencer played the guitar and enjoyed our time together.
3-14-19 Thursday
Today was an extremely long day. The acoustic group woke up before hours to share a presentation at the rotary club. It was inspiring to have everyone appreciate the Up with People program so much. We shared our stories and left them encouraged. Then we performed at three old folks home and each place we went, the people were so excited and supportive. We had free time for the rest of the CA day so we drove to the Vegas Sign and took pictures. We all wanted to go to a thrift store, so we shopped and bought cheap clothes. After the cast meeting, a group of 30 had to do a late night set-up at the Desert Oasis High School. One host family was having a massive pool party, but we couldn't go because our allocation. I finally learned how to set up the lights on the stage! When Clare picked us up, we went drove through the Las Vegas Strip!
3-15-19 Friday
Today we had a school show for almost 2,200 high school students. Their reactions of the songs in the crowd were awesome and they encouraged us to perform our best. This show venue is not the best because we have two full rows of bleachers on each side of the stage. The cast had a community discovery in Mandalay Bay. We got a private tour of a rehearsal for the Michael Jackson One Cirque de Soleil. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I could only get through Up with People. Then Clare brought the mob to the strip and we went on Roller Coasters in New York New York. Then we went to Bellagio and I introduced Kip to my roommates. It was really fun to be downtown Vegas and see what it was like. The water show at the Bellagio was stunning. We went to an M&M store and then crashed when we went home.
Show Day!!!! In the morning, I was practicing with the band and we started jamming to classic rock songs from the 80's. After lunch, I was a section leader for the sopranos to teach the Mexican Medley. The cast needs a lot more practice with it, but we will get there soon enough. Today God showed up in my life more than ever before. All week, I was really disappointed that my entire family was going to be at a show where I wasn't singing anything. Then, Julia got sick and couldn't sing as Hope. Leah pulled Gabbie as the back up and had her practicing. I saw an opportunity to play hope for the show that my family was coming to, and I jumped on it. Leah was on board and helped me make it happen. During rehearsal Gabbie sang all the hope moments, so I thought that she was going to do it in the show, but then they ran Keep Hope Alive twice so I could sing it. The show team decided that I could sing Hope because they needed someone who was 100 percent ready to fill in for Julia. Momo talked to me and reviewed all the new blocking for Hope. I was a little stressed because I had never done the blocking for hope, the transitions from piano to hope moments, and the new rundown. But, I really wanted to prove that I could make it all work together smoothly. Momo also told me that this was probably the only time that I will be able to play Hope for the rest of the semester. I can't believe that the one time Julia got sick was the show that 14 family members were in the audience. God is truly so good. I cried out of happiness and excitement. During front of house, I got to see my family for the first time since Christmas and it was really nice. They were guests in green room and then got seats in the house. I hadn't told them that I was actually singing, so when I opened the show, they were surprised. It felt so good to be singing, playing a big role in the show, and being a part of the band all in one show. I was nailing every new blocking, and especially the end of Keep Hope Alive. This new cast has never actually heard me sing and their reactions were priceless. My friends from last semester kept coming up to me and telling me how much they missed me signing. It was really reassuring to hear amazing compliments from everyone. Most of all, it felt amazing to be back, even if it was just for one show. All of the struggling in staging all paid off in this very show. This show mattered the most because my family was there, and I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to sing and play! I am so glad that I auditioned for the band, and also had the opportunity to prove myself this semester. After the show, I went up to Todd, Jenny, Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and Dad and they were all crying. This was the moment were I had a overwhelming sense of peace, accomplishment, and pride. They were all really impacted by the message and it was amazing to have all their support. Then I went to the Hotel with my family on the strip of Las Vegas. It was an emotionally challenging day, but also so rewarding.
3-17-19 Sunday
Host Family Day!! Today I got to wake up in a hotel with my real family surrounding me!! We went to the hot tub first thing in the morning. Then the family drove to the Hoover Dam. It was really interesting, and I was glad to check that off the bucket list. We continued driving all the way to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Another thing to check off! There was a Sky Walk where we could walk on glass over the deep canyon. We got to hike, visit look outs, and take many pictures. It was quality family time spent in the car ride, and the outdoors. When we got back to our hotel, we decided to go to Fremont Street for St. Patricks Day! There were interesting sights and smells forsure... Tali was a bit traumatized. We got dinner at a Chinese place and then went back to the hotel. I am sad that the time was so short, but I will see them all again in June!
Off to California!!
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