Whether you started in middle school, high school, or college, all of us theatre kids deal with the same joys as well as the same problems. We love it, and there's nothing we'd rather devote our lives to, but there are ups and downs to everything. We are family, so we endure the good and bad together. Over the years, I've recognized recurring themes throughout the theatre atmosphere. So, I'm here to tell you all that you're not alone. Here are a few things I've found to be true.
1. "One more time" never means one more time.
Whether it's moving a set piece, running a number, or going through a song, it will never be "just one more time." At this point, we know better than to expect to run it for the last time. It'll be about four or five more times in all honesty.
2. "Hamilton." That's all.
You're obsessed with it. It may be considered "overdone" in about two weeks, but you don't care because Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius. It's educational, fun, and it gets you turnt on history. And, yes, it is OK to be able to rap all of the songs.
3. "Take five" is the most beautiful phrase in the English language.
During a four-hour rehearsal, you'll get about two of these, so each time, it feels like Christmas morning. Your feet scream "Get these character shoes off!" and for five minutes you can sit down, drink some water, and shove down a snack from the Green Room. It always goes by way too fast, but you are grateful for every second you get.
4. Saturdays are for rehearsals.
"Hey! Wanna hang out Saturday?" will always be followed with, "Oh I can't; I have rehearsal." You love what you do, but you know Saturday's will always be for rehearsals when in the middle of a production. Not to mention, your friends outside of theatre hate you for it.
5. When someone else knows about "Heathers," you geek out together.
Followed by an impromptu "Seventeen" duet, you bond over this wildly underrated musical. Some will even claim that if you don't know the musical, you aren't a true theatre kid. Even though that's definitely not the case, it's a pretty damn good show and you should download the soundtrack, like, right now.
6. Your public speaking skills rock.
School presentations? Piece of cake. You'll have your information memorized, person of topic analyzed, and enunciation perfected. You voluntarily perform in front of people all the time, so presenting a topic to a classroom is child's play to you. Your articulation is unparalleled, so you always do well on these projects.
7. People always ask, "So what's your backup plan?"
At this point, you expect this question to come up every time you tell anyone you're going into theatre. You have to resist rolling your eyes when they ask. Yes, you are aware the performing arts is not the most financially stable career path to take, but you love it far too much to settle for a "safe" job. While it's understandable to have a backup plan, it's also okay to have enough faith in yourself to believe you'll find some way to succeed in theatre.
8. Randomly bursting into song is the norm for you.
Your friends outside of theatre will never understand why you do this, but they accept you for it anyway. However, your friends in theatre will gladly join in without hesitation. Almost anything can trigger your impromptu singing and you'll probably follow your impulse to sing no matter where you are.
9. Tech week equals Hell.
Sorry, Dante, but I'm adding a new circle to Hell, and I'm naming it Tech Week. This is the week of the production where five minutes of the show will take two hours to light and the word "hold" will haunt you in your dreams. The end product is always worth it, but the process feels like it drags on forever.
10. You wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
The adrenaline you feel when you first step out on that stage is incomparable to anything else in the world. You chose theatre for a reason. The passion you feel for this art consumes you -- it sets your soul on fire. The people you meet along the way, your family, are just a wonderful bonus.
"No matter how much we complain or how much sleep we don't get, there will always be the stage... and there's just something about that stage." Anonymous.
