My beautiful friends.
We had our first performances of CARMEN INSIDE OUT last week in Salt Lake City, with UtahPresents. And today, while I am trying hard to relax and prepare for the next outpouring of energy for my next audience, I just can’t help but feel so excited and so incredibly grateful for what all of us have accomplished together. In a way, this marks the ‘official’ beginning of our Tour... and my, how we have traveled far in such a short period of time!!!! I am genuinely awe-struck.
I am so thankful for the wonderful love and appreciation that poured out of the audience. And, because the rest of you could not be there, I wanted to share this beautiful message I received after the show.
I love you all. And trust we will meet again soon!
Carmen
From a beautiful young woman who experienced CARMEN inside OUT:
I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your performance. I can’t adequately express how moved I was, but I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve EVER learned so much from a performance.
I’ll admit that previously my opinion of Carmen wasn’t the most admirable, but last night I completely fell in love with her. She suddenly became relatable and understandable. You changed my ideas and opinions which I think is one of the most, if not THE most important aspect of art.
The dialogue and singing was captivating. I can’t recall a single moment where my thoughts were anywhere else but with you and your story, and I constantly caught myself smiling and reacting! Yet, the moment I felt the most enlightened was during your dancing. I remember thinking to myself as you danced,“She has all the confidence in the world!” You looked so at home that it was truly mesmerizing. I thought, “that must be how she’s so kind to everyone, she just has the confidence of a god!” So imagine how blown away I was during the "conversation space" when you confessed to your own struggle with confidence!
I thankfully have never felt put down or belittled for my gender, which I recognize is not a luxury for every girl or woman. Unfortunately in my experience, the term “strong women in society today” has had a negative connotation for me. I think when I hear people talk about strong women, I usually associate it with women trying to justify inappropriate behavior or trying to belittle men. However, last night I got much better insight into a REAL strong woman. I think THAT'S what’s so important for society to comprehend as we try to progress this idea of “strong women”.
We as an audience were finally able to understand Carmen. We saw your sincerity in thought and action. Ultimately your strength and courage was what really inspired me. In no way did I see inappropriate or belittling behavior which for me individually was so important in my own journey of understanding a strong woman in society. For that I'm beyond grateful.
I really cannot rave enough about this show and all the work that has gone into it. I so appreciate the lesson I learned and the performance I enjoyed. You’re talent blew me away and my friend and I raved about it the whole way home.
Thank you! Thank you!
Stay tuned for more reviews, photos, and video clips from this and other performances!