Attending TCG’s National Conference was amazing! I’m so appreciative of Blake Robison (former Artistic Director of Round House Theatre/incoming Artistic Director of Cincinnati Playhouse) for nominating me as a Young Leader of Color (YLC). Not only was it a great honor, but I wouldn’t have been able to attend otherwise.

For many of us YLC folks, this was our first time at the conference, which boasted more than 1,000 theatre professional from around the world. What should have been a daunting, and I daresay, alienating experience, was welcoming, inspiring, and motivating. We started the conference a day and a half before everyone else. The lovely folks at TCG arranged special meetings, workshops and soirees for us! This allowed us to build a small, nurturing and supportive community of theatre artists.

One of our first sessions was a Values Clarification Workshop led by motivational speaker, Paul Robinson, of the Wilder Center for Communities. In this workshop, we defined our core values and established a broader and more comprehensive understanding of what it means to be leader. This was such a meaningful experience and I know I won't be able to capture it entirely, but I want to share a bit about what we learned:

First, Paul had us define our individual Core or Touchstone Values. Values are what matter to us; what we can't live without; what defines us; what stimulates and inspires us; and what is central to who we are. In order for a value to be a Core or Touchstone value, they have to be:

1. Chosen freely.
2. Chosen among alternatives.
3. Chosen after consideration of consequences.
4. Prized and cherished/bring you hope and joy.
5. Publicly affirmed and reflected in how you live.
6. Acted upon, even in the most challenging situations.
7. Part of a pattern of action.

Now it's your turn:

1. Here's the sheet he gave us to help determine our Core or Touchstone Values.
2. Take 5 minutes to rank them from in order from 1 to 20. This is, in an ideal world, what you want to spend your time and money doing.
3. Once you've ranked them, circle the top 5 and put X's by the top 3.
4. Next, ask yourself: how closely does your everyday behavior match your core values?
5. Here's a sheet to help you determine your Practicing Values.
6. Take another 5 minutes to rank them in order form 1 to 20. Be really honest about this and assess your life. 
7. Once you've ranked them, circle the top 5 and put X's by the top 3.
8. Now compare the two sheets. 

If you’re not living or practicing your core values, then you either need to adjust them or adjust your life. But remember life is a process and you're a work in progress, so it's all good! This is just to see where you are and what you need to do to get to where you want to be!

This is important, because as a leader you have to have a clear idea of what your values are. You have to be able to stand up for your core values and defend them even in the most difficult of situations.

As a leader, you have a platform for your thoughts and ideas. It is an honor to be in such a position. As a leader, you’re given great power and influence to impact the world around you. You are uplifted and heralded because your values speak to the community. It is an extraordinary privilege to be in such a position. As a leader, you are responsible to your community. You are there to support and nurture your community. You are there to challenge and strengthen your community. You must never take your role as a leader for granted nor should you ever take advantage of those in your care.

For me, a leader is someone who has integrity, courage, humility, compassion, a strong work ethic and values excellence; someone who gets out of their own way, checks their ego at the door, and remains accountable for their actions; someone who is discerning, able to delegate, and listens to the needs of their community; someone who understands that leadership is a privilege and with that privilege comes a great deal of responsibility; and someone willing to say they don’t know and that they were wrong. This is the kind of person I strive to be. I don't always succeed, but I am making my best effort.

Needless to say, I left this meeting and the conference feeling empowered, confident and with a greater sense of purpose for my life and career in the theatre. It's been a long time since I've felt anything close to that... a really long time.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the 22nd annual Theater Communications Group (TCG) National Conference as a Nathan Cummings Young Leader of Color. It was an amazing, life-transforming, and empowering experience.

This year’s conference was held in Boston, which is an absolutely gorgeous city. On our descent, the pilot flew over the ocean, which was just exhilarating. We were low enough to see boats and the white caps of waves. For a moment, I pretended the white caps were dolphins, because I heard once that dolphins will save people from drowning. This is a useful and comforting tidbit of information. I mean, as amazing as it is to fly over the ocean, it’s the ocean! And for all intents and purposes has no bottom! Eek!

At this point, I should share that I don't know how to swim properly. I can float real well and manage a fairly decent dog paddle, but that's about it. Mind you, it's not as though I didn't have the opportunity to learn how to swim, because I did. And it wasn't a black girl don't wanna get her hair wet thing, because I mean, hair dries! Go natural or put on a swim cap and call it day! No, I got myself kicked out of swim class many, many years ago. The story goes I slapped a boy who stole my bologna sandwich. Evidently, he had a crush on me and either I wasn't into sharing or just not that into him, but that was that!

Now, upon arrival in Boston and throughout my stay in this historically renowned breathtaking city, I did absolutely none of the things you’re supposed to do when you go to a new city. I didn’t go to Fenway Park. I didn’t take in a museum or go to a play or even stop off at the aquarium. I didn’t go see where they dumped the tea or celebrate the life of Benjamin Franklin on a lovely walking tour. What’s more, I didn’t even know about the ducklings and their amazing adventure across the park! Hello, bad tourist!

However, on the last day of conference, I did get my picture taken in front of Cheers with my new friend and kindred spirit, Maile Holck. But this was by no means planned. We stumbled across this much beloved tourist destination on our walk around Boston Commons. As soon as I saw it, I thought here we go! Here's something touristy! Let's make it happen!

So, Maile and I walked down the steps to closed door. After all, it was 7:00am on a Sunday! We checked out the menu to see what we would have ordered had we gone there. We settled on a make-our-own version of the chopped salad. Then, after a few failed attempts to find a stranger with a camera, I spied an older gentleman a few houses away standing on his porch in his bare feet smoking a cigarette. I approached him with our bad tourist tale and last ditch effort to capture our experience in this great city and he obliged us quite happily!

So here’s the pic! I’m going to share more about the amazing conference soon!