Winter Update 2019
Dear Acting Academy family’s past, present & future:
Yesterday Maggie arrived home from a holistic cancer treatment after being gone a full week. Never did I imagine that taking care of two boys for seven days would be the most exhausting event of my life. Julian who is now 4 and Jesse who is in his final month of being 2 are non-stop firebolts that require undivided attention to ensure they both live to see 18 – lol! I’m happy to report that the three of us all survived, mom made it home safe, and the daily taxi driver role I’ve happily embraced has the meter running strong!
ZYGO FAMILY UPDATE:
Maggie continues to fight her cancer with research, holistic therapies & her unwavering faith that she will be here to raise her sons. Everyone always asks me how she’s doing, and the short answer is overwhelmed and exhausted, and although that’s the truth, it’s typically not what people are hoping to hear. It’s like asking a work colleague “how are you doing?’ and they give you their life story, and all you were seeking was a short, friendly exchange of, “Good, thanks, and you?”. It’s a loaded question and I know that people generally are concerned and mean well, but if I unloaded the full story they’d certainly avoid eye contact with me in the future. Living with an incurable Stage 3 cancer after being diagnosed the same day you bring your 2nd child into the world and then finding out both children could also have the same cancer is devastating to say the least, but then a month later your 16-month-old almost dies from anaphylaxis to peanuts and the new life of becoming an allergy family begins (on top of daily newborn babycare and cancer care). Fast forward almost three years and Julian is slowly improving in his allergy journey due to a ground-breaking program we’ve been pursuing up in Long Beach. Jesse is experiencing developmental delays that have introduced us to a whole new set of challenges --- SO --- with an active cancer battle, daily allergy fears, a new special education track, all while working to maintain the integrity of AA4K – it appears that the overwhelmed and exhausted narrative is our current season. We are hopeful for a better tomorrow….to be continued…
ACTING ACADEMY RECAP/UPDATE:
We had our most AMAZING summer this past year welcoming more students to the Academy at our three locations than any year in the past. Our Fall production of the Greatest Showmen Musical Review was by far one of my favorites as the kids really shined! Our current production of Peter Pan is right around the corner and I can’t wait to see the kids do what they love as they journey to Neverland! We are the 1st program in Orange County to be awarded the performing rights to Disney’s FROZEN coming this Spring (April-June) and this one is going to be one of our most important musical theater series as it is officially our very last full-scale production at OC Music & Dance (OCMD). Their school has grown so popular over the past two years that they have decided to keep programming in-house, which has unfortunately brought our partnership to an end. We will finish with a bang at the end of August at OCMD with our 11th season of Performing Arts Summer Camps. We will also be back at the Cabrillo Playhouse in San Clemente as well as Community Roots Academy in Laguna Niguel offering to the kids in the community the best performing arts summer camp in the OC!
WHERE WE’RE HEADED:
Knowing that we do not have a performance venue come December, we are on the hunt and are certain that we will be where we are supposed to be! We have had two very promising and exciting meetings this past week with two potential options. One is a rental of one of the most amazing performance venues in South Orange County. The theater is HUGE, beautiful, and would be a phenomenal space for kids and teens to perform. The second option is a partnership and 30-year endeavor with a popular home-school co-op and Church. All three of our organizations require a facility come the Fall, and if the stars align, this blended family unit would bless thousands of families for decades to come. As many of you know, we lead our life and our Academy with a purpose-driven perspective and have faith the Big Man will provide.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
We are committed to the lives and education of the kids in the community and we are thankful that so many of you trust us to that end. We have an amazing team of leaders and teachers and are so excited for all of the lives that will be changed through the arts this next year! Your partnership means the world to all of us at AA4K and we are so blessed by each one of your kiddos and your families. Please help us spread the word about FROZEN and 2019 Performing Arts Summer Camps!
Love you guys!
Stephen
Dear Acting Academy family’s past, present & future:
Yesterday Maggie arrived home from a holistic cancer treatment after being gone a full week. Never did I imagine that taking care of two boys for seven days would be the most exhausting event of my life. Julian who is now 4 and Jesse who is in his final month of being 2 are non-stop firebolts that require undivided attention to ensure they both live to see 18 – lol! I’m happy to report that the three of us all survived, mom made it home safe, and the daily taxi driver role I’ve happily embraced has the meter running strong!
ZYGO FAMILY UPDATE:
Maggie continues to fight her cancer with research, holistic therapies & her unwavering faith that she will be here to raise her sons. Everyone always asks me how she’s doing, and the short answer is overwhelmed and exhausted, and although that’s the truth, it’s typically not what people are hoping to hear. It’s like asking a work colleague “how are you doing?’ and they give you their life story, and all you were seeking was a short, friendly exchange of, “Good, thanks, and you?”. It’s a loaded question and I know that people generally are concerned and mean well, but if I unloaded the full story they’d certainly avoid eye contact with me in the future. Living with an incurable Stage 3 cancer after being diagnosed the same day you bring your 2nd child into the world and then finding out both children could also have the same cancer is devastating to say the least, but then a month later your 16-month-old almost dies from anaphylaxis to peanuts and the new life of becoming an allergy family begins (on top of daily newborn babycare and cancer care). Fast forward almost three years and Julian is slowly improving in his allergy journey due to a ground-breaking program we’ve been pursuing up in Long Beach. Jesse is experiencing developmental delays that have introduced us to a whole new set of challenges --- SO --- with an active cancer battle, daily allergy fears, a new special education track, all while working to maintain the integrity of AA4K – it appears that the overwhelmed and exhausted narrative is our current season. We are hopeful for a better tomorrow….to be continued…
ACTING ACADEMY RECAP/UPDATE:
We had our most AMAZING summer this past year welcoming more students to the Academy at our three locations than any year in the past. Our Fall production of the Greatest Showmen Musical Review was by far one of my favorites as the kids really shined! Our current production of Peter Pan is right around the corner and I can’t wait to see the kids do what they love as they journey to Neverland! We are the 1st program in Orange County to be awarded the performing rights to Disney’s FROZEN coming this Spring (April-June) and this one is going to be one of our most important musical theater series as it is officially our very last full-scale production at OC Music & Dance (OCMD). Their school has grown so popular over the past two years that they have decided to keep programming in-house, which has unfortunately brought our partnership to an end. We will finish with a bang at the end of August at OCMD with our 11th season of Performing Arts Summer Camps. We will also be back at the Cabrillo Playhouse in San Clemente as well as Community Roots Academy in Laguna Niguel offering to the kids in the community the best performing arts summer camp in the OC!
WHERE WE’RE HEADED:
Knowing that we do not have a performance venue come December, we are on the hunt and are certain that we will be where we are supposed to be! We have had two very promising and exciting meetings this past week with two potential options. One is a rental of one of the most amazing performance venues in South Orange County. The theater is HUGE, beautiful, and would be a phenomenal space for kids and teens to perform. The second option is a partnership and 30-year endeavor with a popular home-school co-op and Church. All three of our organizations require a facility come the Fall, and if the stars align, this blended family unit would bless thousands of families for decades to come. As many of you know, we lead our life and our Academy with a purpose-driven perspective and have faith the Big Man will provide.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
We are committed to the lives and education of the kids in the community and we are thankful that so many of you trust us to that end. We have an amazing team of leaders and teachers and are so excited for all of the lives that will be changed through the arts this next year! Your partnership means the world to all of us at AA4K and we are so blessed by each one of your kiddos and your families. Please help us spread the word about FROZEN and 2019 Performing Arts Summer Camps!
Love you guys!
Stephen
