Today is September 3rd, and I am not in New York.
I have had the pleasure of spending the last four September 3rds of my life with a group of incredible people. They're smart, welcoming, accepting, dorky, enthusiastic, generous, weepy, and loving. They are the group of people I fondly refer to as my "Sweeneyfamily".
If you're reading this blog you probably know I'm obsessed with Sweeney Todd. Whether you knew me in middle school when my teachers didn't know what to think about this 12 year-old who talked about this musical about cannibalism all the time, whether you knew me in high school and saw me staging something in the hallways after school, whether you met me in college and knew me as "the Sweeney Todd girl" before anything else, whether you looked through the meager collection of DVDs I brought to Ghana and saw three different DVDs of Sweeney Todd, you probably know that I have a very special place in my heart for that musical. You probably noticed me disappearing from high school or my first year of college to travel to see the Broadway production, the tour, or other shows with the same actors. If you've ever been in a room of mine, you've probably seen walls decorated with several different posters and an absurd number of playbills. (The most epic version of this was the Sweeney Todd wall I had in high school.)
An unexpected, beautiful thing that happened because of the Sweeney Todd revival was meeting people who were just as obsessed with Sweeney Todd as I was. We met, mostly online. We lived everywhere. New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Denver, Washington state, Puerto Rico. Most of us made the pilgrimage to see the revival several times, and eventually we started meeting in person. I first met people from the Sweeneyfamily in person on September 3rd, 2006; the closing night of the revival. For well over half a year, we'd been talking, sharing insights, thoughts, analysis, observations from the different nights we'd seen the show, and that night we came together to attend the final tale.
In the years that have followed, some of us have moved to New York, some of us have left New York... all mostly for college purposes. Some have gone off to college, some have graduated college, some are doing grad school. But no matter where in the world we are, we are a family. It might sound cheesy, but the bond you create with people as you fearlessly dive into the Judge's "Johanna" together, flip out over the use of ecstasy pills in Victorian-era mental hospitals, and sob ruthlessly at a detail most of the audience doesn't notice... that bond is for life.
When the first anniversary of Sweeney's closing came around, we figured we could spend the night moping in our respective dorms, apartments, states... OR we could get together and celebrate.
And celebrate we did! There was food, there was trivia and prizes, there were costumes, and there may have even been a Rocky Horror style screening and sing-a-long with a live cast (and I may or may not have played Toby). And every year since then, we have gathered to celebrate this show that brought us all together.
Since late 2005, the Sweeneyfamily has been a blessing in my life. We are always there for each other if anyone needs food, housing, companionship, or theater recommendations. I realized that, especially once I graduate and start doing pieces outside of school, I'll get to involve them in my theater pieces and I'm so excited for that. Sometimes, when live in theater school has gotten too crazy, it takes just hanging out with them to remind me of why I do this. Just as we supported the show and the actors (and have continued to support those actors in other projects), we have always supported each other. I am enormously grateful for every single one of them.
Those who are in New York today are gathering once more. It was a sad moment when I realized that studying abroad in the fall meant that I would miss the events that will inevitably take place this evening. But I send my love to them from across the ocean and I know that this is still just the beginning.
Also:
Wɔ yε m'adamfo.
"These are my friends."
IN TWI.
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