DPAC Ambassadors at & Juliet Blog
By Mollie
“While I have a captive audience,” as my new acquaintance Corky would say, I would love to share the events of my first and highly anticipated DPAC Performing Arts Ambassador event. As a driver of DPAC’s Courtesy Shuttle, which travels between the American Tobacco North Deck and DPAC entrance, Corky knows the ins and outs of the downtown Durham roads surrounding DPAC, and after shadowing him for a Wednesday night performance of & Juliet, I feel as though I do too. While Corky expertly maneuvered his way around cones and over sidewalks, I had a front-row seat to witness the magic of theater: how it brings people together from all stages and walks of life.
With show tunes playing from the shuttle speaker system, I greeted many audience members. They were all strangers to me, but not to Corky–he had regulars. The sweetest part of my night was not the cookie I bought from concessions, but hearing Corky and his favorite couple (Wednesday night season ticket holders) catch up on the short ride. It was during this moment that the role of DPAC staff grew ever more admirable and audience interaction became even more crucial to the DPAC experience in my mind. This is why we do this.
Once my shift ended, I hurried to my seat, where I was immediately astonished by the set of & Juliet and the audience’s energy in one of the many sold-out shows during its time at DPAC. Seeing the pop music that has been belted in cars and sung in showers brought to life on stage in such an empowering remix of Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet was an unforgettable experience. Meeting the cast afterward during a talk-back was even more memorable. As an aspiring artist, I savored our time with the lovely performers of & Juliet who so graciously met with us Ambassadors. Giddy with excitement, we peppered them with as many questions as we could. One answer stuck out to me. When asked what has kept her going during times of doubt in the theater industry, Rachel Simone Webb, (the unstoppable and fabulous Juliet), gestured to the 30 eager faces of the Ambassadors sitting before her and said, “This is why we do this.”
