Over the past several years, my youngest daughter has been finding herself. Lot of highs and lows, which come with being a teen. Today she takes one step closer to not only fulfilling a dream, but making her mark!
Gabi has always had a knack for the theatrics. I remember our funny face contest with all the kids given 30 seconds to make me laugh. Those moments are priceless! She soon found her way to middle school and high school theatre, landing leading roles and really honing her craft. Last year, almost one year to the day, she asked, “can I begin formal training for acting”, thus the journey began.
Rewind to about 6 years ago, when she started this quest. A very young and motivated Gabi trained for a year, won accolades among her coaches, and when the showcase arrived with highest of excitement, she could not make the event. This was totally out of her control, but the circumstances could have driven her away, the hurt she felt could have doused that fire, yet she persisted.
Years and many plays later she landed her lead role of “Mary McFly” in a production of “Back to the 80’s” based on Back to the Future. I laughed so hard, she was brilliant! My heart burst with parental pride and I knew in that moment, she found what she truly loved! The purest form of parental pride is seeing your children find their thing!
So today, Gabi is shooting her monologue video with XXI Entertainment. She has spent a year studying and taking classes in addition to high school and theatre. She is well prepared and today she will shoot the video that will be shown to talent agents across the area. In another month, she will attend a showcase, where agents will see her skills on full display and meet her. It will be her first “red carpet” event!
I can not predict the future. I do know that motivation and hard work mixed with talent will take anyone as far as they desire! I am excited for her to see these three come together for her. I know that as she continues this journey, she will continue to work hard and let her talents take her to a great spot in life.
Alex Putman 