FROM DAY JOB TO DREAM JOB

by George Brock

This story starts in the spring of 2003. Actors Theatre of Houston, where I had been employed as an actor, acting teacher, and artistic director since 1997, was a few short months away from closing its doors forever. I had a few contract gigs lined up as an actor/director, but I was beginning to think that I might have to return to working a “day job” after having managed to make my living as an artist for almost ten years in and around Houston.

That’s when the phone call came.

A dear friend and sometime theatrical collaborator was retiring. She had heard through the grapevine that I was about to be out of work – would I be interested in taking a job as a theatre teacher at Episcopal High School? I think it’s important to share here that the last thing I wanted to do with my life was to be a teacher. In the world of the jobbing theatre artist, becoming a high school theatre teacher was tantamount to surrender. That being said, I figured that this high school job would hold me over until I could find another artistic director job.

That was 19 years ago. So, what changed my mind about being a high school theatre teacher? Three things: The philosophy of EHS, the culture and commitment of the faculty and administration, and the students.

In my interview there was a lot of talk about the Four Pillars and the commitment to making sure all students could explore their varied interests, participating in activities of their choosing. I was skeptical, however, when we had a student who wanted to be a nationally ranked wrestler and play principal roles in our shows, activities that were often in direct conflict. But I was part of the effort the School undertook to make that want a reality. That experience, and the countless others like it, made a tremendous impression on me.

Being part of the Four Pillars in action is truly a rewarding experience, but what captured my imagination, and ultimately changed my thinking about what it means to be a high school theatre teacher, were the people I worked with. Every day brings a new opportunity to work with someone who inspires me or shares something that lights up my creative drive. From the leadership team that green-lit a regional tour of a production about Vietnam War nurses through the Deep South as students experienced first-hand the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement, to the ongoing collaboration between the Chaplaincy and Masque, to the day-to-day development of new ideas and new programs with fellow artists in the Performing Arts Department, the synergy and electric collaboration that drives me as a theatrical artist is very much present in the work I get to do with this amazing group of faculty and administrators.

And then there are the students. They won my heart. I had taught in acting studios over the years leading up to joining the EHS faculty, but that experience didn’t really prepare me for how much these young people would impact me. It is being a part of their growth process day in and day out that has profoundly changed me. Witnessing their growth, helping to guide them on their journey to fulfilling all that potential, and in many cases developing friendships that have lasted well beyond their time at EHS is far more rewarding than any standing ovation or glowing review.

So--as this story continues--I look forward to continuing to work and grow with this outstanding faculty/staff and these wondrously ever-growing students, who continue to help me understand and celebrate the importance of what we do. I celebrate and take immense pride in the fact that, not only am I a high school theatre teacher, it’s also the most important and most rewarding work I’ve ever done and ever will do.