THOMSEN TALK: BEAUTIFUL
Written by Brandon Thomsen, Artistic Director
In December 2023, QCT produced the musical PETER PAN. I didn’t know it at the time, but PETER PAN would be the final show that I would direct at QCT. Now almost a year later, I think about a lyric from PETER PAN that Peter sings to Wendy, “I have a place where dreams are born,” and I realize that QCT has been my place where dreams are born. It’s a place where we can come as we are and open our hearts to possibility. We can stumble, stand up again, be encouraged, and try again. We imagine; we create; we collaborate; we build community.
I had a very good friend that many of you will remember, Russ Goodell, who was a longtime QCT volunteer. He used to visit me in my office at least once a week and regale me with stories, mostly of the great singers he experienced in his younger years. Frequently, as he recalled their artistry, his voice would catch, his eyes would water, he would put his hand to his heart, look up, and say, “My God, it was beautiful.” I was so moved by this for several reasons: A grown man was willing to cry; Russ trusted me enough to cry in front of me; and beauty could move a man to tears.
QCT has not only been a place where dreams are born, but it has been a place where my dreams have come true. Ever since I was in the first grade, all I ever wanted to do was be a part of excellent theatre, and for the past 18 years of my life, I feel that I have been. As I prepare to leave QCT on November 8, I have shed many tears over the last few weeks, but they have not been tears of regret or sadness. My heart has been reminded of so many memories, and people have reached out with such kind words that my brain cannot fathom that I should be so blessed to have had the experiences I have had and to have met the people I have; to be trusted, to be respected, and, by some, even loved. Right now, all I can do is put my hand on my chest, look to heaven, let the tears come, and, like Russ, proclaim in my heart, “My God, how beautiful!”
I am so very grateful.