February Fun & Noël Handy

February Fun

Spring Break is just on the horizon, but let's take a moment to reflect on the fantastic OPAS February that you all helped make possible. We started off the month with the reflective and emotional "Post Secret: The Show" two-night performance. "Post Secret" author, Frank Warren, was gracious enough to conduct a Q&A following the first night's performance. He took the time to speak with every fan on an individual basis and he embodied the open-mindedness and humor of the special event. On a lighter note, America's Got Talent Winners, "Olate Dogs Rescue Tour", brightened up the theater stage with a fun acrobatic rescue dog extravaganza. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" drew a sold-out crowd in the latter half of February and lastly "Million Dollar Quartet" brought the house down for a two-night performance to finish off the month. Of course, we can't forget the incredibly important Education Outreach (EO) that OPAS does for the local schools! We would like to extend a big thanks to Student Director of EO Katy Gray, her managers (Taylor Rowland & Quynh Lam), and the EO Master of Everything Shanna Wright for all of the work they did to make their multiple performances a success!

OPASite of The Month: Noël Handy

Noël Handy joined OPAS as a sophomore in the Fall of 2013 per the request of his friend, and current OPASite, Quynh Lam. Because of his background in music with high school band, he was excited to join an organization that is so closely linked with the Fine Arts. But despite his initial excitement, Noël never expected OPAS to have quite the impact that it had on his college career.

"I didn’t think I would be as involved and as close to the people in OPAS as I am. But over the past 3 years, OPAS has really become my family and some of my closest friends are in this organization. You just need to take advantage of the one-on-one opportunities that arise during various activities like working Tent Sales and attending socials. It’s the more intimate activities, not just performance nights with everyone, where you have the chance to make close friends." - Noël

After spending one year as a General Committee Member (GCM), Noël felt compelled to apply for a leadership position in OPAS. He was selected as a member of Zach Vaughn's Front of House Operations (FoHOPs) team where he ensured that his zones in the auditorium & theater were running smoothly. He had fond memories to share about his time on the FoHOPs team:

"I really treasured last year - being on the manager team and becoming closer to everyone on the team. It was really a learning experience and an avenue for me to exercise leadership. Also, I felt like one of the faces of OPAS because I was always up in the front! Honestly, the fact that I enjoyed my job and the people that I was working with made it an all around beneficial experience." - Noël

But as an organization that prides itself on offering new challenges and leadership development every year, OPAS took Noël's talent and placed it in Maura Lytle's Back of House Operations (BoHOPs) team for Season 43. 

"In general, it’s a completely different learning experience from FoHOPs and there are so many different tasks that I never expected to be doing. But we have a great team and Maura enables us all to get our jobs done - I respect her so much."  - Noël

So with Season 43 coming to a close, OPAS will soon be losing one of its most dedicated OPASites. But before he leaves, Noël Handy wanted to share his reflection on the three years he spent in OPAS:

"OPAS has impacted my entire college experience. From the people I interact with daily to the experiences I’ve had, it has helped me grow into a better person. I know it sounds cliché, but the more you put into OPAS, the more you get out of it. The more effort I put into gaining new experiences, the more beneficial it was. I have a more holistic appreciation for the performing arts, thanks to OPAS." - Noël