Robert Reed
After performing in five Revels shows over six years, I took a break, but in 2016 I auditioned again and was invited to join the chorus. Shortly after that, however, I was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, so I declined my role in the show. I was in the middle of treatment when my family attended the Revels that December. At that time, I noticed in the program that a recording project was planned, that auditions were scheduled, but that singers who had been invited to join the 2016 chorus didn’t need to audition. At the time I was in no condition to sing anything, but I reached out to Robert and asked: even though I wasn’t in the show, I had indeed been “invited” to participate; did this apply to me? Robert told me that he had worded the announcement very carefully with me in mind! When rehearsals for the recording began in March, I had just finished my treatment, and while my voice wasn’t all the way back, rehearsals were exactly what I needed, both vocally and spiritually. By the time we actually made the recording, my voice had recovered. I will never forget how Robert had kept me in mind and provided this avenue to bounce back to a fully lived life after my illness.