On a calm Friday afternoon, the ever funny and humble Jeffrey Seller (Class of 1986) reflected on his path to Broadway in front of an intimate crowd in Palmer Commons.
Although he completed university over 30 years ago, he still remembers asking himself as a senior, “How to get from here to there?” Seller took his captivated audience through his life’s journey, from how his political science degree at this university led him to eventually becoming an acclaimed Broadway producer of shows like Hamilton, Rent, In the Heights and Avenue Q. He credited his eventual success to his pro-activeness. His dedication to the theatre began as a young child and he worked his way up, working any odd jobs that could even slightly relate to the stage.
What was most pertinent for the students was the numerous sage life advices he doled out.
When speaking about his friendship with Jonathan Larson that led to the production of Rent, Seller said “who we team up with determine our future”. He emphasized the importance of the kind of friendships that we make in university and its influence on us right now and in the “time after”.
Perhaps what was most memorable about this speaking engagement was Seller’s response to a freshmen’s concern over studying the humanities. Seller began by plunging into the various technology advancements that have improved our lives. But he ended with “Science may save our lives, but humanities will make it worth living”. Cue the snaps.