David Samuel, “Serious Kidder”

David Samuel is a Shift Supervisor in our Ticket Office who changed majors from biology to theatre, opening avenues for him to express his creativity.

I’m a junior Theatre major at the University of Maryland and I also work in the Clarice Smith Center Ticket Office as a shift supervisor.

When I first came to the university I was a Biology major and I didn’t like it that much. So second semester my freshman year, I went to every different school, talked to a bunch of advisors about switching majors and ended up with a choice between sociology and theater. But then I went into the Clarice Smith Center, walked around, talked to some people and really liked what I saw. So I decided, hey, why not switch to theatre?

I went into the Clarice Smith Center and really liked what I saw.

It was a big decision but it wasn’t just out of the blue. The arts have definitely been part of my life from an early age. When I was five, my mom took me to church and got me into the choir and after that I started picking up instruments — the trumpet, the guitar and a little piano here and there. Being a musician was my first passion — I’d be jumping around and singing random songs all the time as a kid — but when I got into theatre I realized there are many other avenues to express creativity and I shouldn’t just limit myself to music.

Being a musician was my first passion but when I got into theatre I realized there are many other avenues to express creativity.

I like working in the Ticket Office. We’re like the Center’s information desk. People come in and ask questions about where to go, where to eat, what they should see. The better informed we are, the better we are at helping make the Center more of a community center and not only a performing arts center.

A few weeks ago I had an amazing conversation with a patron. She started talking to me about what I do and I’m gesticulating with my hands all over the place and being kind of loud and she said, “Oh, you must be a theatre major” and I said, “Yes, I am.” We ended up talking about why theatre is beautiful and what kind of writing really intrigues me as a performer. I never would have expected to be having this conversation with a lady like this about how I could continue being free in my art and work toward being a great performer. But it happens, and you meet all kinds of interesting people working in the Ticket Office.

You meet all kinds of interesting people working in the Ticket Office.

So for the future — I can see doing a lot of things. But my biggest dream is that one day I’m going to participate in something — it may be the arts, it may be something else — and someone will come up to me and say, “Your work has affected me to the point that I need to change my life and I thank you for what you do.” I feel like if I could hear that from someone just once, I could just stop whatever I’m doing and just chill for the rest of my life.