AYAA Talkback: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone!

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I hope everyone had a great day full of food, family and fun yesterday. Now, on your breaks from madcap shopping today, I wanted to share an AYAA post all about gratitude and giving thanks. A while ago, we did a post about female empowerment, where we had young ladies talk about women they admire in the AZ Theatre Community. For Thanksgiving, I wanted to extend that to both genders in the form of giving thanks.

So please enjoy reading about who we would like to give thanks to this year! And leave who you're thankful for in the comments below or on Facebook!

Julian Mendoza: "James May. He is my music theatre dad and I love him and he's so great."

Bailey Gorman: "The person in the AZ theatre community I am most thankful for is Tracie Jones. She has been by my side (or me by her side) for 5 years now. She has been such a huge role model to me, not just in theatre and in music, but in life. She has taught me so much about life that I didn't know before I met her. She also has helped me improve so, so, so incredibly much as an actor, singer, dancer, performer and person. She has been there for me through thick and thin and I owe everything to her. I honestly don't know where I would be in life without her."

Anson Romney: "I would like to thank Calli Overstreet for teaching me how to dance full out every time. I would like to thank AYT for shaping me into the performer I am today which includes Kristin and Chris Bowler. I would also like to thank Karli Giles for everything she has done for my voice. I would also like to thank Sandy Stones for being the best director I've ever worked with. As well as the Van Pattens, Sue Anne Lucius, and Cathy Huan and Jenn Crandall. I would lastly like to thank Mark and Lindsay 4man for sharing their talents to enrich the lives of young artists in the valley that love the joy of theater and entertainment."

India Chudnow: "I'm thankful for Mary Jane McCloskey  for always inspiring me and pushing me to be my best. She supports me in all things I do. That being said I'm also thankful for my mom Edie Chudnow for always helping her friends costume their shows and being so supportive. I definitely have such a great support system!!"

Miranda Smith: "All of my voice, dance, and acting teachers who sincerely caste about my growth and learning as a performer."

Jessica Sinodis: "I am thankful for Nicole Knox. She is my mentor, big sister, & best friend. She taught me to see the good in our world. She rescued me like a injured pup and nurtured me back to help. She opened my eyes and mind to many wonderful things. She has the most beautiful aura. She radiates joy and happiness. Not to mention she's so unbelievably talented! She's so passionate in her work and all her performances. I aspire to be even a tad like her. She inspires me to follow my passion and my heart every single day- Even 60 miles away in Tucson! She's the human I know will be at my wedding and will be my best friend forever. That's why I'm thankful for Nicole Knox."

Benny Cowans: "I would like to thank Jessica Sinodis for always making me smile no matter what the circumstance and for always being there for me."

Danny Blankemeier: "I am thankful for Andrea McFeely for all that she's done for Actor's Youth Theatre and what she is doing with Tuscany Theatre Company. She had taken me and so many others further into our art."

And from me: Clearly, I am thankful everyone who reads AYAA on a regular basis. As of writing this post, we are approaching 50,000 page views and with this post, we should break that barrier. I'm so excited that I get to continue working on this project even though I'm living in the midwest. And then to share some gratitude for specific people: I am thankful to Tracie Jones, Rebekah Avila, Josh Lindblom, Paige Beckman and Suzu Henderson for being so helpful and supportive of our AYAA cabarets. I think it is so fun that I get to share AYAA with audiences from two different theatres. And then as for some of my kiddos, Sarah Davidson, Sarah Pansing, Jessie Jo Pauley––you three ladies are such lights and so great for this site. Sarah Davidson and Jessie, thank you for taking charge on some things when I was leaving for college. Sarah Davidson, you've been the biggest supporter and participant in AYAA since day one. Sarah Pansing, you are wise beyond your years and provide a calming presence whenever I'm around you.

Thank you for your continued support of AYAA! Can't wait to bring you more awesome content. :)