Walking through the doors of a familiar building into the small box office felt like nothing has changed since I’ve last been there. The first face I see was the director of the show I was seeing tonight—a director I’ve worked with countless times before.

As soon as I buy my ticket, I’m greeted by more staff members I haven’t seen in months. It felt unusual to not be in the dressing room, putting the final touches on my makeup and chugging hot tea like no tomorrow. This was a new experience for me with something like this.

The Andria Theatre is a community theater in my hometown that has a wide variety of shows they put on every season. Perhaps one of the most popular and rewarding productions they have are the Student Theatre Projects or STP.

The purpose of this program is for kids ages 10 through 18 to learn about all aspects of theatre, from basic acting skills to technical designing and put on a musical toward the end of the six-week camp. STP had just entered its seventh year, and although I had been apart of it for every other year, this was my first time attending one of these shows.

The very first musical I was a part of was through STP. As an awkward 12-year-old who was interested in theatre but had never been in a real production, I didn’t know what to expect. Although (looking back on it now) it was an extremely amateur production, it helped me decide if theater was for me or not. And it was.

I wasn’t sure how this year’s show was going to turn out; I have friends in the show who’ve been keeping me updated, but the creative team assured me that I was about to be blown away. The shows STP has put on in the past few years have been extremely successful, with shows like “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” and “High School Musical Jr.”; and with this year’s show (“Mulan Jr.”), could it go beyond expectations set by STP in the past?

The house isn’t full for a Thursday evening. It was the second performance out of eight, and I was sitting alone in the sixth row near the aisle. Parents of the cast members have flowers in their laps and friends are searching the program for familiar names. There is a shocking amount of small children in the audience though, who are giggling and kicking the seat ahead of them as they wait for the show to start. At one point, a little boy on my right asks, “How long until the movie starts?”

And then after the director addresses the audience, the house lights dim, and the stage lights shine brightly on the cast’s faces. If I was up there with them, my heart would be racing with adrenaline. The thrill of being up on stage is special, because you know the audience is in for a treat when you show them something you’ve worked so long on. But although I wasn’t on the stage that night, I still felt the rush. Their energy filled the theater and swept over the audience.

I felt Mulan’s pain as she struggled to find her place in the world. I laughed over Shang, Yao, Ling, and Chien Po’s attempt to strut their stuff when disguised as girls. I fought alongside the army during the Act I finale. My heart soared with these young actors for every minute of the musical.

After the show, I waited in the lobby to say congratulations to everybody. This year, 62 students were in the STP cast, and each have learned skills that I’ve learned here for six years. Even if they stick with it or they don’t, this was an experience that can never be taken away from them.

I will always love and support the program that validated my love for theatre. So here’s to the kids whose gateway to performing was through this show. STP, you’ve done it again.