There are moments in the stories of our lives that unbeknownst to us at the time begin to set up the narrative of our future chapters. This past week I’ve been thinking a lot about a few of these moments, and so to begin, let’s travel back in time to 1989.

Second star to the right, and part of your world
That summer my parents took me to Rainbow Stage, Canada's largest and longest-running outdoor theatre to see a production of Peter Pan and a few months later in November to see Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the movie theatre. It was these experiences that made a then 8-year-old Gareth fall in love with musicals, theatre, and the movies.

I know how it feels to be different, and I know how lonely that can be
Fast forwarding two years, Disney’s Beauty and The Beast came out in theatres, and from it came the first time I truly understood the power of storytelling and being able to see ourselves in a character. For me, I immediately felt a connection to Belle. 10-year-old Gareth resonated with Belle’s love of learning and reading, her passion for life, her kindness, her confidence in herself and that she followed her heart. These were qualities I both saw in myself and wanted to grow into.

As drag queen Nina West commented in last month’s Disney Pride Spectacular, we also feel connected to characters like Belle, Elsa, Ariel, Raya and Mulan because “stories about outsiders wanting to express themselves and feel seen resonate so deeply with so many of us in this community.” While this is true of the LGBTQ2S+ community, it’s also true for anyone that has ever felt different or out of place.

As I think about my work today, narrative storytelling and making connections to the fictional characters we resonate with are approaches I use often, as is character development from my theatre background and the way it informs my understanding of student development, and how I coach and mentor.

When I go the distance, I’ll be right where I belong
Over the next 13 years, my lifelong love affair with the theatre grew through acting classes at Prairie Theatre Exchange, choir, drama class and musicals during high school, voice lessons and involvement with the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. At the age of 17 I directed my first show, at 19 staged a 2-Act variety show for my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, and with a dear friend in my early 20s co-staged variety shows at Manitoba Theatre for Young People, with the aim of giving local youth the chance to grow their on-stage performance experience and artistry. In 2004, so many of my experiences with theatre culminated in graduating with an honors theatre degree in directing from the University of Winnipeg’s Department of Theatre and Film.

As I think about each of these experiences, I learned so much about finding my community, teamwork, organization, problem solving, creativity, communication, leadership, empathy, and event planning, among many other lessons. Even now, I draw on these regularly in my work in the way I design content to be interactive and engaging, how I approach facilitating workshops, plan events and engage in any form of public speaking or storytelling. In fact, I really can’t imagine who I would be today without these moments.

So, take away this week: Thinking back over your story, what are some of the important moments that have defined you, and why are these moments particularly important today?