As everyone knows, yesterday was a very special day... February 29th! Which only comes every four years! (Duh, Caroline, they all know this, get to the point...) Anywhoo... I wanted to do something special but didn't know what. I hadn't had the most productive weekend ever and needed to spend a sufficient amount of the day in the library. But nevertheless, the day concluded on an amazing note.
VIOLA DAVIS CAME TO BROWN TO SPEAK AND I WENT AND SAW HER!!!!
For those of you who do not know who she is, I suggest you watch How To Get Away With Murder The Help, Doubt (which I still need to see) or anything else she has ever done. She is an award winning theater, film, and television actress and activist, who is currently challenging Hollywood to diversify itself. Plus she is from Rhode Island!! (Probably the coolest person ever to have been raised here).
There was a lottery to get tickets, and I did not win, but I knew there would by seats for those who waited before the show. And I toyed with the idea of actually going all the way until about an hour before hand. Best decision ever. My friend and I didn't even think that we would get in because when we arrived we were told we were 130th on the waiting list to get in. WHAT??? 130TH??? That's crazy. There is no way the odds are in our favor, we thought. But we still waited, and as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait, and we got in!!
The first thing she said to the Brown students that stared up in her in awe was "My name is Viola Davis and I am a hero." And absolutely no one would dispute her and say that no she isn't, and I'm sure some would ask where her cape is because that's how in love the audience was, but she gave us a different definition. Through the story of her 50 years of life, she told us a tale of a literary epic hero's journey. One where the hero rises from adversity, fights the dragons, finds fame and glory, but still struggles with self-doubt and questioning, but through guidance and support finds the elixir to uplift her/him and share with the rest of the world. And that is exactly what she has done, from a run down apartment infested with rats and without plumbing, to traveling 5 and 1/2 hours everyday to go to a performing arts high school, to Juilliard, to the stage and Tony awards, to acting in front of a camera, to more awards, to therapy and self-reflection, more creation, and to now. Now she shares her elixir through her production company, which strives to elevate women of color, and her roles on tv, which challenge all that we have seen before.
My favorite quote from Ms. Davis was "If you are not living a life bigger than yourself, then you aren't living a life at all." This is something I am pondering a lot right now as I explore who I am right now as I step into a new phase in my life and explore the future.
After a little over than an hour, the talk ended and the students all walked away buzzing over what we had just witnessed. I cannot wait to see what Viola Davis produces next, and I know that I going to catch up on this season of How to Get Away with Murder to see more of her brilliance. I recommend it to all.
Check out this article published by the Brown newspaper for more information about the event!
And just for a laugh, here are my super fabulous pictures from the night!