The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation. -Stella Adler

Musical theatre at first glance may come off as glittery costumes, cheesy messages, and ridiculous dance sequences. A career in theatre, some may believe, is only based off of personal vanity and a hunger for the limelight. These stereotypes and snap judgements I have found to be far from true. Of course there is a silliness involved in performing. Singing, dancing, and being vulnerable in front of an audience is unnatural. Naturally, a response is to find that willingness of vulnerability bizarre and even ridiculous. And although big egos can occasionally be an issue, the vast majority of actors that I’ve met have been very down to earth. Anyone with a big head is quickly humbled by the overwhelming mass of talent this world has to offer. These concepts of theatre are so confining. Theatre has the power and ability to be so much more than that.

I’ve always believed that I would never be fulfilled and happy without a life of contribution. Some jobs are so clear with how they assist the world! Doctors heal people. Sanitation workers keep the city clean. Chefs cook to feed people. But I was nervous that my acting career would be just for me. With a world filled with human rights violations, an acting career seemed selfish and unhelpful. I was afraid my choices being limited to a productive life of helping, or a full life of acting. The reality is that I can have both of these things.

A day after the 2016 Presidential election my ensemble went into our first class – acting. Many people were shocked, upset and angry. Our acting teacher could sense the lack of focus in the room. He took this opportunity to inspire us just as he had done countless times before. He started talking about how we had an important job to do as actors. We needed to realize that we do have power. The power we had was to write or star in the next RENT, or Hamilton. We have the ability to change people’s minds with our work and create something that furthered a message we believed in. He had told us many inspiring things before, but this particularly resonated with me. My chosen career not only COULD be contributing to a solution but it NEEDED to be contributing to a solution. I now truly understand that the power to change minds is there, as long as you are determined and willing to work for it.