Against All Odds

Hello! I want to slightly go off topic here. A big congratulations to Dana Stevens who just landed the lead role in a soon to be produced Indie film named "Street". Dana will now be adding acting to her singing and dancing repertoire.

I really admire Dana. She is a person that sets the bar very high and constantly is astonishing me with her attitude, commitment, persistence, optimism, and charitable contributions. She is always striving to better herself, improve her family's standards and help those less fortunate. She also is raising 4 children from the ages 1.5 to 11. I honestly don't know how she accomplishes it all! However, her story on how she earned the lead role in this film demonstrates the traits that are required to be successful.

Dana's real passion is in the arts. Despite having to do other jobs (like work for me :)) to pay the bills, she is always pursuing her passion on the side. Dana saw a posting for a casting call and decided to go for it despite never having acted! The audition was to be held in Chicago so Dana made arrangements for childcare and took the train into the city. Unfortunately, she had the address wrong and once in the city took the bus(es) North to what she thought was the correct address. Due to the logistics in getting to this address, she was a few minutes late and at the wrong location! Many people at this point probably would have thrown in the towel. Not Dana, she got back on the buses and arrived at the correct address an hour and a half after the casting call!

As she got off the elevator, no doubt flustered and a little panicked in the rush, a man noticed her as he was getting on the elevator to leave. He asked if he could help her. She said that she was there for an audition. The man said that the auditions were done and everyone had left. Dana, though, still would not give up. She explained why she was late and asked if she could audition still. She then said, "I will sing for you here in the hallway". How could the man deny that? So, he said, "Go ahead". Dana sang a song that she had written herself. The man stopped dead in his tracks. He asked her, what song it was and she answered that it was one of her own. He asked if she had any others and she said that she loved composing and had quite a few originals. The man pulled out a sheaf of papers lined with signatures of all of the people who'd auditioned that day. On the last page, on the last line, Dana signed her name. He said he would call her next week for second rounds.

Of course, Dana got that call and went back for the the second round of auditions and was asked to try out for the lead role. She had to memorize 5 pages of a script and perform them. When she returned, she was on time but again the last to audition. She performed her role opposite the man that she'd met in the elevator, who happened to be the Executive Producer! She learned later that she was the only candidate that did not have to look at her lines during that audition. On her way out, she overheard the Executive Producer tell the other judges, "That was the girl I told you about who auditioned in the hall!". She was told that she wouldn't be called with an answer for a week because they had another girl to see.

However, less than a week later, she got the call she'd been waiting for! She will be the lead character, Street, in the film titled "Street". Congratulations Dana! Your persistence, determination and unwillingness to give up is why you are and will be successful in life! We can all learn from you! For more on Dana, please see, www.yogastickysocks.com/dvd.html.