I am so tired of people knocking theatre, especially the impact that theatre has had and continues to have on the evolution of society. I'm not the most objective person to speak to this, given that I've been passionate about theatre sincere I was old enough to walk and talk. However, sometimes it takes a person that is entrenched to speak the truth.

I promise, I will try to be brief.

History, theology, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology (especially cultural anthropology): are these fields unimportant and meaningless to our existence? Of course the answer is no, they are incredibly important. Our civilization evolved to the point it's at now because we know our history, understand our theology and have developed intricate and advanced systems of politics, economics etc. We understand ourselves and human nature better because people decided to study psychology and we have cultural identities because people cared enough to find out what the people that came before us valued.

Largely due to Socrates believing that once something was written down it lost its ability to progress, the oral tradition flourished in Ancient Greece.Theatre began as a way to educate the masses. The Ancient Greeks used theatre to teach their religion to those that were illiterate (at that time it was the majority of the population). Politics and law were topics frequently attested to in Ancient Greek theatre as well. Theatre reflected society.

That's the key. Theatre reflects the society that creates it. For at least a millennium, theatre captured history- many of the Ancient Greek plays are about the wars the Greeks fought and featured historical figures. As theatrical traditions began to change and evolve, theatre was used to teach the masses about morality and religion under the guise of the medieval morality, mystery and passion plays.

At its core, theatre is about life. The life of the everyman, the plight of the middle class, the perils of the bourgeoise- all have been molded into play after play and are stories that we have fallen in love with over time (I'm looking at you Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, and Moliere).

In modern memory, theatre has begun to more clearly articulate the inner life of people via realism. Social problems, politics, religion etc. are all still hotly debated topics within contemporary plays and musicals, but we have also begun to look within and capture the mystery and uniqueness of human nature. How a person operates, forms thought, processes emotion, copes with adversity- all of these topics have come to the forefront over the past century (maybe the last two).

In a world in which we value understanding ourselves and our past, how is theatre not an integral part of our education? It's more than names and dates, but if you study the progression of theatre throughout history, you'll learn a great deal about the evolution of humanity and the political, social, economic and religious values of each time period.

I like to say that theatre is a perfect blend of all the social sciences and liberal arts. Clearly, it's a passion of mine and one that I will never stop loving. There is so much to be gleaned from it, it's an endless resource of information.

What I love most, however, what makes it truly important to our society, is the fact that when you go watch a play, a musical, a theatrical production of any type, you will invariably recognize a piece of yourself in one of the characters or one of the situations on stage. How comforting it is to know that you are not alone in this world, that there are people who understand what it is to deal with the particular struggles or challenges that you deal with.

The beauty of theatre is that it is a community. We are all one as we watch a play unfold before us. We are united in that experience. There is little in this world that is more powerful.