More than trophies: Mary Jensik's reflection on Utah Trip – Part III

At our first rehearsal, Matt and John had insisted winning does not matter. The weekend in Utah was about more than the competition. The trip was about sharing stories, art, learning and creating an inseparable group bond.

Utah Shakespeare Festival proved art is subjective. We saw a lot of professional theater competition. We saw two shows, one of a group we deemed as one of the best pieces of theater we've ever seen.

During the competition, our chaperone Nancy, who's also First Stage's Director of Development, read me a Facebook post from John: "Our duo scene out at Utah is Angelo assaulting Isabella. It’s exceptionally well done and, as such, it’s a hard watch. But an important one ... today ... and every day. I will believe thee, Isabel."

I started to cry after Nancy read me this. At that moment, I was not Mary in a Shakespeare competition. At that moment, I needed to share Isabella's story, and I was Isabella. 

And, that's also the moment I discovered winning didn't matter. Doing the scene was an achievement in itself. A trophy can't measure the reactions Bradley, my scene partner, and I received during competition. The current relevance of our scene is startling, but it was really the work we put into it that made it stand out! All of the pieces we brought to the competition spark new thoughts and shared provoking images/themes that people can learn from.

By traveling to Utah, we were separated from everything else in our life but each other. It was the perfect opportunity to grow as artists and as people.

Although we earned trophies, the most important awards we received was the bond of an ensemble. Whether it was taking a hike in the mountains or sitting in Mitch's room eating pizza (who's First Stage's resident teaching artist administrator), we grew an unbreakable friendship.

Traveling throughout Cedar City, we were like a pack of wolves or a pride of lions, conquering everything. This experience gave us the opportunity to share unique moments, and I'm lucky to have been with this stellar group of people.