I am going to Northwestern University to study musical theatre. It sounds silly, but a big reason for that whale of a decision stems directly from composer and playwright, Jason Robert Brown.

In my lifetime, he has written some of the most truthful and moving shows including ‘Parade,’ ‘The Last Five Years,’ and ‘Songs For A New World,’ all three of which have made a large impact on pushing me forward into the great divide known as trying to cement a career in entertainment.

With that in mind, I sincerely regret not making a split-second decision roadtrip out to NYC this past weekend to witness the closing production of the Off-Broadway revival of ‘The Last Five Years’ featuring Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor (a superb performer who I got to work alongside in The Muny’s production of ‘Godspell’ four years ago).

I did however get to see a Jason Robert Brown show on Sunday. The rarely produced ‘Songs For A New World’ was put on as the inaugural show to a new St. Louis area company, Silhouettes Productions. To my knowledge, the artistic director, Elisabeth Wurm, fully funded the entire shebang, top to bottom — just because she wanted to see it.

I’d like to pause in this narrative to reflect on that point. If you want something in this world — want to see its beginnings, growth, and flourishment — you have to do something about it. Living, learning, loving — it’s all a process.

‘Songs For A New World’ explores moments. Moments of discovery & fear, love & loss, togetherness & solidarity, anticipation & weariness — the individual climaxes of a person’s existence which personify the complex comedic and dramatic nature of the human experience.

As you embark on these hot summer months, whether you’re trudging off to college or going through the motions before another year of institutionalism, keep in mind that your days all stack up to a common goal, a finished product. Whether you accomplish them in a week or a lifetime, you are creating a collage of your life that will one day come together and speak for what you have done. As of late, I’ve come to appreciate the daily struggles and victories that chip away at my bad qualities and tack on to my good ones.

In two long years of these blogs I’ve written about a lot of silly, nonsensical things. Movies, coffee, and Justin Bieber are fine and all, and they’ve all had a specific purpose in the shaping of @thehippestcat into who he is today. I know I’ve gotten a bit more “Aristotle” lately, but quite frankly, I just want everyone to live for those moments.

So I’ll leave you with the wise words of Jason Robert Brown that make up the final chords in ‘Songs For A New World,’ simple words that ring true and can give you support at any point and time in your life.

Hear my song, It’ll help you believe in tomorrow

Hear my song, It’ll show you the way you can shine

Hear my song, It was made for the time

When you don’t know where to go

Listen to the song that I sing

You’ll be fine

I promise.