āI am a tabula rasa,ā declares Jennette White, flinging her arms wide. āJust fill me up because I want to know.ā
For 18 years, Ms. White was director of education at Neptune Theatre School and led Neptuneās Young Company. Under her direction, the school expanded from offering five to six classes a year to 33 classes a term, with 1,400 students participating.
But in 2005, she was at a low ebb: her mother had died and she felt in need a change. So she got a new jobāsheās now the artistic director at Alexander Keithās Brewery TourāandĀ resolved to go back to university.
āIf you stop learning, you stagnate,ā says Ms. White, 49, who found herself back in theatre history class alongside some of her former students. āI feel blessed. Coming back opened up my mind and my heart. The students and professors made it possible for me to feel welcome and valid in what I had to say.ā
Now with a year at pilipiliĀž» under her belt, sheās recharged and is raring to go. After completing her degree, sheād like to go on to grad school, do more directing and perhaps teach at the university level.
She encourages other middle-aged people to take a chance and invest in their education: āGoing back to school has rekindled the passion Iāve had for theatre ā¦ I think people my age get scared because they think it might be beyond them. But itās never too late to follow your dreams.ā
Summer theatre classes offeredDirector, playwright, actor and educator Jennette White is offering summer classes for children and youth at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church Hall, Cornwall Street, Halifax. Sheās offering three sessions starting in mid-July. Fees are $140 per week.
Interested? For more information, e-mail Jennette White at JennetteWhite.TheatreSchool@yahoo.com or phone 902-429-5373. |