Friday, April 30, 2010

West Virginia, Mountain Mama...

I went to school in Elkins, WV.  It is a sort of run down little town in the Tygart Valley with a tiny little liberal arts college nestled in the hills.  I LOVE Elkins.  I LOVE Davis & Elkins College.  I hadn't been back to the town in 3 years, and hadn't set foot on campus in 8 years.  Funny how easy it was to go home again.  Walking along the familiar paths, past the familiar buildings, even seeing familiar faces...the intervening 12 years just melted away as quickly as frost in the sun and I was 21 years old again.  Of course I had my 7-month-old baby strapped to my chest and my husband in tow, so that made it wildly different from 21.

Not everything about being 21 was all that great, actually.  I was diagnosed with cancer than year (I fought it off bravely, and have been cancer-free for 11 years), was a hormonal wreck from the surgery and radiation, drank waaaaaaaaaaay more than strictly necessary, broke up with a long-term boyfriend, got back together with said boyfriend, etc., etc., etc...

But oh, Elkins.  Fresh air, beautiful mountains, good friends, excellent theatre (D&E had an incredible thriving theatre department full of incredibly talented people), challenging roles and awesome scene studies classes.  I still long for the days when all I had to do was rehearse and act and sing sometimes show up for a literature or science class.  College was just plain fun, and all typical early-adult other bullshit aside, I loved every minute of it.  Part of that love was just for the place itself.

Elkins is near the 2 highest points in the state, Spruce Knob and Bickles Knob.  We would drive up to Bickles almost weekly and just watch the hours slipping by over the endless miles of mountain.  By my senior year, the overly-liberal mining and logging policies the state employs were evident in the blown off mountain tops and swathes of clear-cut forest.  While this made me sad, I didn't have the maturity or dedication to be angry or to actually try to do anything about it.  All my passion and dedication was aimed at theatre, and there were few better places to do it than at this little college nestled in the mountains.  It was tiny, but thriving.  I was an integral part of a beautiful little community and I loved it.

I started writing this post a week a ago when I got back from my college theatre reunion.  I am not sure why.  I don't have much to say about college anymore.  I grew, I acted, I sang, I loved, I lost, I moved on.  The college itself hit some seriously bad years.  Enrollment dropped below 500 students for a time.  The Theatre department lost funding and subsequently talent - as evidenced by the seriously low-quality production I witnesses last weekend (This is, sadly for my priorities, almost more tragic than the clear-cut forests and strip mining).  Supposedly, things have started to turn around.  I hope so.  Those were good years at a good school doing excellent theatre.  I hope more aspiring actors have the opportunity to hone their craft in such a beautiful setting.

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