Jaclyn Renee Vogel

One night I couldn’t get these two characters out of my head: a very snarky boy with a rough past, and a goody two-shoes girl who couldn’t stand him. They were in a room with two doors and two chairs, and they couldn’t get out. I wasn’t sure why. So that night I wrote for hours just letting their stories play out in my head. They shocked me, intrigued me, and made me think about things I’d been avoiding thinking about. I grew to love them. For two years I wrote, and rewrote. I went to Australia, where I met fantastic people filled with all sorts of cultures and beliefs. We talked about death. We talked about life. We talked about religion. We talked about how our countries viewed one another, and how wrong they were. I came home filled with ideas of topics I wanted to get people here talking about.  I named the girl Sydney and the boy Sam. Sam wasn’t just a snarky boy with a rough past, he was loving, funny, sensitive, hopeful, and heartbroken. Sydney wasn’t just a goody two shoes. She was confused, lonely, playful, and caring. Together, through meeting each other, they become better versions of themselves. Through meeting them, I’ve become a better version of myself. Seeing the cast and crew bring their stories to life, is more rewarding than I ever expected it to be.