For Future Reference

Awards season has come and gone, and here I am without an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, or the Tony that I have dreamed for ages about winning. Not that I've been in any movies, television shows, or Broadway shows, and I definitely haven't put out any albums this year. Nevertheless, a girl has got to be prepared in case a random award is bestowed upon her, and this girl has a lot to be thankful for. So, here goes.

I would like to thank the Academy for bestowing this honor upon me. For as long as I can remember, I have been dreaming of standing up on this stage and accepting this honor. I would like to thank my high school drama teacher and lifelong friend, Nicole Leese, you saw a immature girl with bad posture who dreamed of being on a stage and you put her there. Over the years you have given me the tools and the guidance to be not only an  amazing person but the actress I've always wanted to be. Don and Lynn Pearce, you have given me a voice to be proud of and the technique to continue improving far into the future. And to Doug Leese, thanks for the bluntness. Thanks for the encouragement. Thanks for being worried about me and along with your wife, Nicole, and your two gorgeous children providing this weird sort of family that has gotten me through many a tearful meltdown at rehearsals, or a moody period for which no one has any explanation. You are all truly the best.

Aunt Crystal, thank you for all the laughs, thanks for being an Aunt, a sister, and a best friend all in one, and for teaching me the importance of coffee and good eyebrows. To my OVOC family, thank you for supporting me through aches and pains and stress and rehearsal and letting me into your group, despite being a scared newbie who had no idea what she signed up for. Thank you especially to Janelle Cutuli for getting me back onstage, Ugo Bartell for always having a joke and a smile ready for everyone you come across, especially when we need it backstage, Jim Richards for all the foot rubs after spending too many hours in character shoes, Besty Rainsford for being the sweetest witch I've ever known, and Judy Johnston for having to go through the struggle of teaching me how to sing Over the Rainbow and then letting me into another musical. Thank you to Susan and Bonnie for creating magic out of material and then helping with some of the fastest quick changes ever, Reese and Corina for being my falsie applying make-up gurus, and to every audience member that has ever supported a local theatre production. Getting onstage and performing is a gift to you, the audience, for supporting our endeavors to change lives through make-believe.

Thank you to anyone who ever told me that I couldn't make it in the world, and to everyone who told me I could. Every time I step onto a stage, it is for all of you. And to all the kids at home who wish they were up here right now, all I have to say is this: If the daughter of a drug-addict from Oroville, Washington can make it here and accomplish this, you can to. Prove them wrong, and make it effing happen. Thank you all.


Alexis Olmstead is a 20something living in Okanogan County. She obviously aspires to large things in life and can't wait to get out of this little town and get on with her life. She hopes to pursue an English and Theatre degree, go to Cosmetology school, win a Tony, and one day push for education reform in the United States. For more rants, raves, and award speeches, check back often.