“The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” is a quick-witted satire on Victorian manners. Jack and Algernon, two bachelor friends, court two young ladies by leading double lives, under the watchful eye of an intimidating and opinionated Lady Bracknell.

“Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?” is directed by Earl D. Weaver, who is also the artistic director for Theatre 麻豆原创. The musical chronicles a group of elementary school kids as they progress through Catholic school, and eventually meet up at their 10-year reunion.

鈥淏lack Patent Leather Shoes is a charming musical about children growing up Catholic and learning how to deal with the many stages of adolescence and the world around them. It is a good complement to [The Importance of Being] Earnest because most of our student actors this summer are performing in both shows,鈥� said Weaver.

鈥淭hese two plays require actors to maneuver through two plays that deal differently with language, time periods, clothing, and cultural/historical contexts. It allows the students a chance to tackle a 鈥減eriod play鈥� and a 鈥渃ontemporary musical鈥� at the same time. It also helps support the department鈥檚 mission to expose our performing arts students to different genres of theatre during their time at 麻豆原创.鈥�

Performing the two shows in repertory is an important experience for theatre students to have, because many theatres operate in the fashion, particularly during the summer.

Theatre student David Klein is one of the students who was cast in both shows. He performs the role of Lane, the butler, in “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and has the lead role of Eddie Ryan in the musical.

鈥淭he hardest thing about being in both shows is the amount of hours we work. We are in rehearsals for about 11 hours a day so it can get a bit tiresome when we get towards the end, especially since both of these shows are high energy,鈥� Klein said.

听鈥淚 really enjoy the company of everyone involved with the shows. We鈥檝e become a close group of friends in a few short weeks and that makes the long days worth it.鈥�

Patrons should be aware of a few changes, starting with the June performances. In response to feedback from patrons, showtime for summer evening performances will be 7 p.m.. Start times will revert back to 8 p.m. in August, once the regular academic calendar resumes.

Also starting this summer, Theatre 麻豆原创 is instituting a new ticket price of $10 for 麻豆原创 faculty and staff, the same price as student tickets, and which is available by presenting a current and valid 麻豆原创 ID during regular box office hours. No discounts are offered at the door. The faculty and staff discounted price will continue through the 2015-16 season.

The Importance of Being Earnest will return to the stage Aug. 27-30 to welcome students, faculty, and community members back to campus.

Productions at a glance:

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

By Oscar Wilde

Directed by Mark Routhier

June 25, 27, July 10, 16, 18 at 7 p.m.

Aug. 27, 28, 29 at 8 p.m.

July 12, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m.

Main Stage

A delightful romp of mistaken identities, witty banter, and larger-than-life characters!

While Gwendolyn and Cecily both fall in love with a man named Ernest, Jack and Algernon learn the importance of being earnest.

$20 standard, $10 麻豆原创 ID

Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?

Book by John R. Powers; Music and Lyrics by James Quinn and Alaric Jans

Based on a novel by John R. Powers

Directed by Earl D. Weaver

June 26, July 9, 11, 17 at 7 p.m.听

June 28, July 19 at 2 p.m.听

Main Stage

A musical for anyone who ever survived middle school

Focusing on eight children during their Catholic elementary and high school education in the 1950s, this musical captures the funniest aspects of youthful growing pains and the trying moments of adolescence.

$20 standard, $10 麻豆原创 ID

For more information about Theatre 麻豆原创, visit .

Lusk wrote the play while completing his MFA in playwriting at Indiana University. The play centers around six characters who are in various stages of finding love. A three-person chorus helps narrate the story and plays supporting roles, including a twig, a sprout, and an ant.

Director Mark Routhier, who directed last year鈥檚 Theatre 麻豆原创 production of Leveling Up, as well as The Best of Enemies at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater this fall, says (a love story) 鈥渟tarts sparkly and has delightful theatricality. Kelly [Lusk] has taken the idea of a Greek chorus and given it a contemporary edge. It鈥檚 not a realistic straight-ahead presentation; this is a world where animals and plants can talk. And while it is humorous, it isn鈥檛 a rom-com vision of love.鈥�

Actor Eric Eichenlaub, an MFA Acting student, agrees with Routhier, saying that the play is not what one would expect from a typical love story.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a story about love, just not as you would expect it to be,鈥� Eichenlaub says. 鈥淭his is a play about people loving people to the best of their abilities. Loving their children as best they can, loving romantically as best as they can. Sometimes they succeed and sometimes they fail. But they are always trying.鈥�

Eichenlaub hedges when asked if his character, Jack, is successful in loving. 鈥淭his is a very difficult role. It鈥檚 hard with a character like Jack not to judge his actions or cast judgment on who he is. But I have to get past that and find what I can connect to. I鈥檓 lucky because Mark [Routhier] is great at helping his actors connect to their characters and Maddie [Tarbox, who plays Jack鈥檚 love interest] is a great scene partner.鈥�
Scenic Designer Chris McKinney, who is in his final year in the BFA Design and Technology program, says he was almost overwhelmed when he first read the script. 鈥淗ow are we going to pull this off? This play is very complex with many different facets. Each character鈥檚 choices affect not only their immediate world, but the world around them. We had to design a set that reflects the fact that each character inhabits their own environment, but also reveals how they are all interrelated.鈥�

Eichenlaub says (a love story) is ideal for a university setting, and 麻豆原创 in particular. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get this show anywhere else. 麻豆原创鈥檚 partnership with the Shakes afforded us the ability to get access to a great new script. And we have the freedom to take chances, which is imperative in an academic setting. Not many theaters can take the risk of doing a play like this.鈥澨�

鈥淔rom a structural, visual, and character standpoint, this is a vastly different show than you usually see on stage. This play is a conversation starter. It鈥檚 for people who have been in love for a long time, it鈥檚 for people who have never been in love. But everyone who comes will be able to find something to latch onto.鈥�

Lusk will join Routhier for a post-show discussion on Thursday, Feb, 19. This play contains profanity, violence, and sexual situations, and is not suitable for young audiences.

Production at a glance:

(a love story)

Feb. 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28 at 8 p.m.

Feb. 22 and March 1 at 2 p.m.

$20 standard, $18 senior, $10 student

Black Box, Theatre Building 6, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando

407-823-1500

http://www.theatre.ucf.edu

theatre@ucf.edu

听听听

Drugs and alcohol coupled with a bipolar diagnosis led to his hospitalization before he enrolled at 麻豆原创, which is where he said he turned his life around 鈥� and has set about helping others avoid what he endured.

鈥溌槎乖� gave me the best second chance I鈥檝e ever had,鈥� said the Oviedo resident who grew up in Palm Harbor.

DeLisa鈥檚 first attempt at college life was as a music student at FSU, but things didn鈥檛 go as planned.

鈥淢y world view was not that great,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was medicating myself with drugs and drinking, and not showing up at classes. If I did, I was messed up 鈥� drinking every day, stealing beer from my roommates, writing bad checks to drug dealers.

鈥淟uckily I had family to pick me up.鈥�

He said he was about to be kicked out of the FSU music program, so instead he took a medical withdrawal from the university and was hospitalized for treatment in Palm Harbor, where in 2011 he started his road back to the life he wanted. He resumed classes at a community college, became active in a substance-abuse recovery program and worked part-time at a theatre to get back on path.

When it came time to take the next step in 2012, 鈥溌槎乖� was the No. 1 school recommended by FSU 鈥� and it鈥檚 just two hours from home,鈥� DeLisa said. 鈥淚 met with [associate professor] Earl Weaver and it sold me. The campus is beautiful, the area is great, and it felt like the right fit. FSU wrote a nice letter of recommendation for me.鈥�

Since then he has blossomed on stage and off.

He has had a leading role in a play every semester he鈥檚 been at 麻豆原创 and, as a helping hand for others going through similar substance-abuse challenges, last year worked with a friend and 麻豆原创 Health Services to help start the Students Supporting Recovery (SSR) program.

鈥淛ohn set an example for other students in recovery to be proud of their recovery and make the most of their college experience. SSR is an example of living the 鈥榗ollege鈥� life without alcohol or other drugs,鈥� said Tom Hall, director of Alcohol and Other Drug Programming at 麻豆原创. 鈥淪tudents in recovery attend parties, go to football games and celebrate holidays. The only difference is they have a substance-free college experience. This is an important message听for 麻豆原创 students who think they can鈥檛 have fun without drinking.鈥�

The group is open to all students, those in recovery and those who support recovery. Next year the members plan to host on-campus sober tailgate parties and other events throughout the year. Following a request from the new organization, 麻豆原创 Housing and Residence Life will offer to place recovering students together in housing starting this fall.

鈥淭here鈥檚 only so much you can do on your own,鈥� DeLisa said about the hurdles to stay clean. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e at a dangerous spot, but once you know you have a place to belong you don鈥檛 have to drop out and essentially start your life over again. If I can stop one student from going through what I went through, it would be worth it.鈥�

For his Honors in the Major thesis, he started the nonprofit Mailmen Theatre Group with fellow student Tommy Hall, and the two wrote a play about recovery that they plan to tour at schools, recovery groups and worship centers around Florida. Hall is the friend who also helped start the campus recovery group.

鈥淚 was praying about it and I wanted to combine my love of theatre with my love of helping,鈥� DeLisa said. The play, 鈥淎 Way Back,鈥� is the similar story of a young addict in college who finds his hope in recovery and struggles to get back. The project, which he calls 鈥渄rama therapy,鈥� received a $10,000 Clinton Global Initiative grant.

鈥淭hat was part of my journey,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was always going out and getting drunk. I didn鈥檛 really know how else to fit in.鈥�

While at 麻豆原创, DeLisa has performed in 鈥淭he Music Man,鈥� 鈥淩agtime,鈥� 鈥淭he Pajama Game鈥� and other plays, but he said his favorite role was the nervous and intense Moritz in 鈥淪pring Awakening,鈥� a story set in Germany in the late 19th century.

It was his favorite part, he said, 鈥渂ecause it was about a troubled young man who wasn鈥檛 very good at school and didn鈥檛 know where to fit in. It was very cathartic.鈥� DeLisa said that after every performance he would text a family member or friend to thank them for helping him get his life back on track.

鈥淛ohn is an excellent student and a talented theatre artist. That says it all,鈥� said Mark Routhier, an assistant professor of directing and acting. 鈥淚f he had not come to know who he is and accept the changes he needed to make, he would have frittered away his education and his talent.鈥�

Routhier was so impressed with DeLisa鈥檚 devotion to the craft that the young actor earned an internship beginning this summer at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, where Routhier is also director of new play development.

For the grateful graduate, his way through recovery 鈥� theatre 鈥� is the same as his way into the future, which is summed up in the Winston Churchill quote DeLisa attaches at the bottom of his email: “Never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about.”

John DeLisa is scheduled to graduate during 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Arts & Humanities commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 1, at the CFE Arena. For details about all of this week’s ceremonies, go to /news/ucf-celebrates-graduation-6-ceremonies-may-1-3/.

Other drivers rarely do anything that makes me insane. Yes, there are people who cut me off, or people who drive 20 mph in a 35 mph zone. That does make me a little crazy, but I don鈥檛 flip anyone off or pass them with a disgusted look, or in any way endanger myself or another driver because I think they鈥檙e driving stupid. I have flipped off someone who has flipped me off, but I prefer responding with a peace sign. That really gets under their skin.

No, my road rage is comical. I yell obscenities at the top of my lungs. I won鈥檛 go into specifics because the things I yell are unprintable. But if I were to set up a camera and then forget it鈥檚 there, I鈥檓 sure the resulting video would go viral and people would laugh heartily about what an idiot I am. And I do my best to spare people driving with me, although sometimes I am told to calm down.

I have a transponder in my car so I can stay in the through lanes at tollbooths and so I can actually get off the Florida鈥檚 Turnpike at my mom鈥檚 exit, where you cannot exit unless you have one. (Umm, why?)

I am convinced that someone, perhaps the Department of Transportation, or SunPass, or maybe even a mischievous friend who knows I have this problem, has added a special feature to my transponder that makes traffic lights change to red as I pull up to them. Nothing drives me more insane than watching a light turn yellow at the distance where it is unsafe to accelerate through it, because in Orlando, the lights stay red forever. If you get stopped at a traffic light just as it turns, you might as well have a kitchen in your car because there鈥檚 enough time to make dinner before it turns green again.

In order to not die of an aneurysm, a self-inflicted rupture of an innocent blood vessel from screaming, I check my emails while I wait. Or distract myself with Facebook. Or play Scrabble. Might as well get some work done, because this light will never change back to green.

I should just keep my computer out or have a pad handy to see if I can write a play when I鈥檓 stuck at lights. I will only write at stoplights and it鈥檒l probably take less than a month to write a full-length play. But here鈥檚 the problem with that. You become focused and then someone else is going to get road rage because they have to honk to get you to go.

Here are some specific places in Central Florida where it鈥檚 particularly maddening. If you are driving north on Mills Avenue, say 4 to 6 p.m.(ish), and you come to Colonial Drive, the light lasts about three full minutes (an eternity in idle time), and then the green lasts less than a minute. Many drivers seem to not have any urgency when the light turns green, so if you are far back, you might have to wait through three lights. That’s about 11 minutes to get through an intersection.

My brother lives at the end of Sand Lake Road near Apopka-Vineland Road and, because of the traffic and lights, it has taken me 18 minutes to go from I-4 to his house about 1陆 miles away. I can walk it faster.

And while driving on University Boulevard between Semoran Boulevard and the campus at 麻豆原创, the lights seem to be timed so you actually never see two greens in a row. I commute between Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Loch Haven Park and 麻豆原创, and I prefer to take the surface streets because getting trapped in traffic on the highways is even more miserable than getting trapped in traffic on the surface streets, where you can perhaps be wily and find a way around it.

This is the commute where my play will be written: from Mills Avenue going north to Orange Avenue, to Aloma Avenue, to Semoran Boulevard, to University Boulevard, and then six miles on University. Or it is where I will spontaneously combust. I will be driving from my office hours at 麻豆原创 to a production meeting at Orlando Shakespeare Theater at 3:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon (the reverse of the commute I just described), and as my evil transponder makes the seventh light I鈥檝e pulled up to turn red, I will start screaming obscenities at the top of my lungs and I will just disappear.

I will spontaneously combust like the drummer in Spinal Tap, and I will be sent to an endless sprawl where I always have to be in my car pulling up to traffic lights鈥搕hat are turning red. And Cerberus will be my co-pilot.

Mark Routhier is an assistant professor of directing and acting at the 麻豆原创 and director of new play development at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, a partnership with the university. He can be reached at markr@orlandoshakes.org.

That鈥檚 one of the lessons hardcore gamers face in Leveling Up, the next production of 麻豆原创 Theatre to be presented Jan. 16-26 in the Black Box Theatre.

Leveling Up is a contemporary look at 20something roommates two years out of college who practically live in their basement, spending most of their time playing video games.

But when the National Security Agency hires one of the players to use his skills to launch actual remote military attacks, relationships change as the roommates straddle the fuzzy line between virtual and real worlds, and what it means to make difficult choices while growing up.

鈥�Leveling Up speaks very specifically to a young audience. The play transcends being only for them and is quite universal, but it resonates very strongly with a generation that has grown up playing extremely realistic video games,鈥� said director Mark Routhier. 鈥淔antasy vs. reality is the thematic undercurrent. And with social media and texting and facetiming, etc., becoming more and more prevalent in today’s culture, how do young people navigate these two worlds?听Leveling Up explores these questions in an extremely compelling way.鈥�

The play debuted nationally early this year. Routhier, an assistant professor of directing and acting at 麻豆原创, said he came across the script by playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer when it was read at the National New Play Network鈥檚 annual showcase of new works. Routhier also is director of new play development at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, a partnership with the university.

The term 鈥渓eveling up鈥� applies to a player who earns enough experience or points to reach a new level of the game. The higher level often brings the ability to use new weapons, access new places or take on new assignments.

Routhier said he doesn鈥檛 spend much time playing video games himself, but understands how addictive and prevalent they can be for gamers, like those in the play.

鈥淚t is when they feel the most connected, the most powerful, and ironically, the most peaceful,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hings in the play happen to change that.鈥�

Student actor Patrick Sylvester鈥檚 character, Ian 鈥� the Nevada state video-game champion hired by the NSA 鈥� said he thinks audiences who come to Leveling Up will learn just what kind of psychological damage evolves from being too consumed by the virtual world and how important it can be to connect with people without having to hide behind a screen.

鈥淲hen one becomes too desensitized from the physical world, our perceptions of reality can become altered and warped and change how we behave and act to those who actually care about us,鈥� said Sylvester, a junior with a double major in theatre performance and English literature.

鈥淭here’s also a level of understanding that each of these characters needs to just not only be honest with those around them about what is going on, but also being honest with themselves and knowing what exactly it is that they need to do to get their lives in order.鈥�

Sylvester said his character fulfills his life by spending it on the screen, recluse to those around him and separated emotionally, although desperately wishing he could connect with people better.

Routhier said the play offers up several moral lessons about lying, trust and jealousy.

鈥淯ltimately we learn that we are frail and fantastic creatures and we are the sum of the decision we make,鈥� he said.

Production at a glance

Leveling Up

Written By Deborah Zoe Laufer

Directed by Mark Routhier

(This production contains profanity.)

8 p.m. Jan. 16-18 and Jan. 23-25

2 p.m. Jan. 19 and 26

Theatre 麻豆原创鈥檚 Black Box Theatre

Price: Standard $20, Senior $18, Student $10; group discounts available

Box Office Phone: 407- 823-1500

Box Office Hours: Monday through Friday:听noon to 6 p.m. and two hours before performances

I grew up with network television. Four stations: ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS. It was always one of those stations that would air the half-hour television specials 鈥淎 Charlie Brown Christmas,鈥澨� 鈥淗ow the Grinch Stole Christmas,鈥� 鈥淔rosty the Snowman鈥� and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.鈥� It was those four shows and their regularity year after year that finally would bring me around to donning the Christmas spirit.

I鈥檓 still that way. I need to at least see the Grinch鈥檚 heart grow three sizes and I need to hear Linus say, 鈥淪ure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights, please.鈥� And once those moments happen, I know Christmas will come, and I know I will be in the spirit of giving 鈥� with my heart open.

Here鈥檚 the funny thing. I am usually in the spirit of giving, my heart is usually open, and I believe in peace and good will toward everyone. And strangely, it is the holidays when I start to tighten up. I start to strain against the relentless marketing, the onslaught of Christmas carols, and the barrage of gaudy yard decorations.

According to the National Retail Federation, the holidays can represent as much as 20 to 40 percent of annual sales for some retailers, and this year they are anticipating holiday sales to rise 3.9 percent over 2012 numbers, to $602.1 billion. Yay, holiday sales! Boo, the stress and the pressure and the crowds and the traffic and the elbows and the screaming children and angry faces and the impatience and the relentlessness and the onslaught and the barrage! At some point, we all feel like Charlie Brown screaming: 鈥淐an鈥檛 anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?鈥� It gets so lost in the marketing.

Our American melting-pot culture seems to have replaced the Roman and Greek gods with the polytheism of celebrity. We worship fame: actors and musicians and athletes at the top of their game making millions of dollars. And even they gain importance during the holidays with the rollouts of all the special movies, and all the special sporting events, and all the special concerts. It is just incessant.听 Unless you live in a cabin without electricity in the woods, how do you get away from it. Where can you find some peace?

I always celebrated Christmas with my family, and even after I married a Jew we still celebrated Christmas. In fact, she always wanted us to get a tree. There is something so calming about a well-decorated tree with the lights twinkling and the pine wafting and the presents underneath growing. Oh no! Did I just say that? Guilty. And that is why I need Charlie Brown and Frosty and Rudolph and the Grinch to always re-enlighten me, to make me understand.

So often the holiday stories are about a misfit who feels left out, who doesn鈥檛 get it, who through their special misfit powers somehow saves the day. Rudolph鈥檚 red nose. Poor guy has this awesome light-up red nose and those stupid other reindeer see fit to make fun of him, ostracize him, make him feel bad. But that little fella saves Christmas. Turns out that nose can illuminate the way through that bad weather. And now he鈥檚 rich because he patented it and takes a cut of every flying thing built with operating lights. Oh no, I brought it back to money again!

The true spirit of the holidays is in giving generously with your heart and soul. It is about having patience with the madness, taking an elbow but laughing, being cut off on the road but taking a deep breath, and hearing a child scream but smiling at him or her (they get really confused by that). It is about spreading the joy that we should feel in our hearts because we鈥檙e alive on this magnificent Earth.

How great is that? I think it鈥檚 worth celebrating.听 And in the spirit of giving, it feels good to get something special for the people you love. But it鈥檚 about more than that, and those half hour television specials always help me relax and relearn what the holidays really offer us:

鈥淎nd the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons. It came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.鈥�

Happy holidays!

Mark Routhier is an assistant professor of directing and acting at the 麻豆原创 and director of new play development at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, a partnership with the university. He can be reached at markr@orlandoshakes.org.

听

This, of course, is true on an epic timeline. Most scientists agree the sun has a good 5 billion years left. The essence, however, is that everything eventually passes.

The transient nature of existence is especially apparent in the live arts. Any live performance is gone forever as soon as it is completed. What you see tonight will be slightly different tomorrow night. In fact, if it were to take place a half hour earlier or later, it would be different. Such is the nature of live performance.

Recently, at the MFA Playwrights鈥� Workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., (sponsored by Gregg Henry and the National New Play Network), several of the new plays started with a character describing our small place in the universe from a macro level. A Big Bang. A chaos of elements. A cooling. Galaxies created. Stars. Binary stars. Suns, planets, moons. Life. And here we are. For a relatively short time. Who am I? What does it all mean?

When students are at the university level trying to get 18 or 21 credits slammed out each semester, they are probably thinking, 鈥淚 just want to get this done, get as close to a 4.0 as I can. Who cares what it all means. I鈥檓 too busy.鈥� That is the key: Busy is good. Busy keeps you focused and grounded, even when you feel your head is going to explode with too many exams coming at you.

But then you graduate and you get released into the big, bad world, and that is when the 鈥淲hat Does It All Mean鈥� stares you in the face.

Now you may be thinking, 鈥淚sn鈥檛 this an end-of-the-school-year article? I just want my room configured, my clothes unpacked, my parking sticker on my car and then I want something to eat. Where and when are my classes? Where do I get my textbooks? I hope my roommate is cool. Why is this idiot writing about the meaning of life?鈥�

It is precisely the minutia, the day to day, the way in which you get from the first day of school to the day you graduate that will define the quality of your answer to that question: 鈥淲hat does it all mean?鈥�

Here you are at a major university with most any resource to access, with professors who might just know a few things, and a curriculum that can send you hurtling forward into a bright future. How much do you love what you are doing? How excited are you to be here? How willing are you to challenge yourself to the point that you may fail once or twice or three times before you get it right? If the answers to these questions are 鈥淚 don鈥檛,鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 not,鈥� and 鈥淭hat鈥檚 too scary,鈥� then take a look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself why you are not pursuing something you love.

Let鈥檚 go back to this idea of the transient nature of existence, the idea that any live performance is gone as soon as it is completed, as soon as the moment has passed.听Although a life is not a performance 鈥� or it shouldn鈥檛 be on the level that one is always performing (just being is tough enough) 鈥� it is what we have.

I am me and you are you and we are all together (that might be a bastardization of a popular song鈥K, it is). We have this one life, and you can argue for reincarnation, or reintegration, or dharma, or heaven or hell, but what you know for sure is that you are you living right now. Make the most of every day.

Take advantage of the people and resources you have around you. Our lives go by too quickly to feel stuck. Decide what it is you love and pursue it with a passion. If you love what you are doing, everything else will fall into place. You will be happier, which will make the people around you happier.

It may seem oversimplified, but these are small steps toward making the world a better place.

Mark Routhier is an assistant professor of directing and acting at the 麻豆原创 and director of new play development at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, a partnership with the university. He can be reached at markr@orlandoshakes.org.