The Junkyard
It's impossible for me to talk about CATS without talking about the Junkyard. What started as a rather large groupchat on Twitter comprised of fans of the show quickly became a tight-knit group of people I would come to call my best friends. Being involved in Broadway "stan twitter", it would be easy to assume everyone hates CATS, but I was fortunate to round up a group of people as dedicated to the show as me. The original Junkyard was a lot bigger than it is now, as people's interests have shifted and our numbers have dwindled, but I feel the need to name (or attempt to name) them all. Many of these people I have since lost contact with, but they each made an impact on my life. These people are: Ryan, Hannah, Elliot, Sebastian, Stina, Connor, Tori, Steph, Max, Gary, Phi, Spyro, Cori, Jamie, Ian, Angela, Jill, Nic, Liz, Lee, Alyssa, Jo, Alan, Theresa, Kat, Emily, Jess, and Gabe. No matter how short-lived some friendships were, or how long they were part of the groupchat, they're all important to me in some way or another.
As I write this, we're just a few days past the one year anniversary of the Junkyard. And everything seems to have happened so quickly, even though it's all been over the span of twelve months. I met Ryan a year ago today. But me and Alan, who I've been talking to since the end of October, just met for the first time yesterday (and saw the show, because of course we did). I remember the first time Theresa and I saw the show together, and it was such a big deal back then-- in fact, I remember the first time we met in person, and the first time we talked online. The time I hugged Kat longer and harder than I'd ever hugged anyone before outside of the Neil Simon. Max and I met in another Cats groupchat, and they've been my rock and one of my best friends ever since. Lee of course I've known long before Cats came into our lives. Elliot and I stage doored almost every Wednesday matinee until those got nixed (I'm still bitter about it). I got to meet Hannah in January when she visited the states and introducing her to Robin Masella, her favorite cast member, was one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Steph and I bonded over being from Connecticut and taking the Metro-North into NYC, and through her I met Tori, who I would eventually start dating two months later. The two of us, along with Stina and Connor have gone on numerous Cats-related double dates. And I could go on, but there just isn't the time nor the words to tell every story about every single person.
The point is, these people have been in my life for a year, give or take, and I never have had better friends. I have a hard time making friends, and my first year of college was a little worse for wear because of it. But I'm at my happiest around my Junkyard friends-- and we have t-shirts to prove it!
As I write this, we're just a few days past the one year anniversary of the Junkyard. And everything seems to have happened so quickly, even though it's all been over the span of twelve months. I met Ryan a year ago today. But me and Alan, who I've been talking to since the end of October, just met for the first time yesterday (and saw the show, because of course we did). I remember the first time Theresa and I saw the show together, and it was such a big deal back then-- in fact, I remember the first time we met in person, and the first time we talked online. The time I hugged Kat longer and harder than I'd ever hugged anyone before outside of the Neil Simon. Max and I met in another Cats groupchat, and they've been my rock and one of my best friends ever since. Lee of course I've known long before Cats came into our lives. Elliot and I stage doored almost every Wednesday matinee until those got nixed (I'm still bitter about it). I got to meet Hannah in January when she visited the states and introducing her to Robin Masella, her favorite cast member, was one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Steph and I bonded over being from Connecticut and taking the Metro-North into NYC, and through her I met Tori, who I would eventually start dating two months later. The two of us, along with Stina and Connor have gone on numerous Cats-related double dates. And I could go on, but there just isn't the time nor the words to tell every story about every single person.
The point is, these people have been in my life for a year, give or take, and I never have had better friends. I have a hard time making friends, and my first year of college was a little worse for wear because of it. But I'm at my happiest around my Junkyard friends-- and we have t-shirts to prove it!
 |
| left-right: Stina, Connor, me and Tori at the BCEFA Easter Bonnet Competition 2017 |
Comments
Post a Comment