The community theater experience varies widely from community to community depending on their casts, directors, show selections, audiences and communities. Each experience will be one that stands completely on its own; however, there are be a few things that will reign true for all of us thespians who decide to venture out onto the stage through the journey that is community theater.
A. Auditions
I mean, are these really necessary at this point? The people auditioning are the same people that have auditioned for the last six productions. We kind of already know who will get what part, right?
B. Backstage
Audiences think that all of the action of a production takes place in front of the curtain, but those of us who have had a taste of the behind-the-scenes life know that what happens backstage is almost an entire show in itself.
C. Choreography
Only understood the first couple of run-throughs by the choreographer and a couple of girls who've taken dance since they were four. For the rest of us, break a leg... Literally.
D. Drama
And I'm not talking about the staged kind...
E. Exhaustion
The never ending state that we're all in from the time we audition all the way through the run of a show.
F. Family
What hours of dysfunctional rehearsals, stress and amped up emotions eventually turn the cast and crew into.
G. Germs
When one of us gets sick, all of us get sick. You'd think that we'd learn by now to stop sharing our water bottles, but whatever.
H. Hairspray
Literally our best friend through a show. When we're about to fall apart from exertion, hairspray is like, "Hey, I got you, boo." We may be walking zombies, but at least our hair's staying in place, right?
This also just happens to be one of our favorite cast albums to jam to in the dressing rooms.
I. Inside jokes
These will vary from show to show and cast to cast, but we all have those little jokes with our theatre friends that no one else in their right mind will ever understand.
J. Jazz Squares
If you can't do these in your sleep, do you even theatre? Come on.
K. K cups
pre-measured coffee miracles that we destroy in our sleep-deprived state.
L. Lines
What? What do you mean, you don't know your lines? IT'S TECH WEEK. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN OFF BOOK WEEKS AGO.
M. Makeup
Pounds and pounds of stage makeup that you'll still be trying to scrub off your face long after the show has ended.
N. Notes
A necessary evil. After hours of grueling rehearsals where the lead has crumbled into a puddle of tears from an anxiety-induced mental breakdown and a chorus girl twists her ankle, the director sits the cast down to read off 50 pages of notes that he or she has taken to tell all of us what we did wrong.
Hey, at least we'll know so that we'll correct the mistakes for next time, right?
O. Opening night
Accompanied by a fanfare of hustle and bustle after weeks of hard work, opening night is the night we've all been waiting for. The curtain rises on the first time your show is seen by a real audience, and it's one of the biggest rushes the cast will feel throughout the entire process.
P. Post-show depression
The period of mourning that ensues after a show has closed. Symptoms: ugly crying with the original Broadway cast recording of your show's music on repeat for weeks.
Q. "Quiet backstage!"
Basically the stage manager's version of the middle finger. Seriously, guys. "If I can hear you, so can the audience!"
R. Rehearsal
Where you feel like you spend all of your time through the duration of the production process. Before you arrive, you're stoked to get started. Once you're there, though, all you want to do is go home.
S. Standing Ovation
That glorious moment during the curtain call where all of the hard work you've put in feels 100 percent worth it.
T. Tech Week
Simultaneously the most chaotic and transformative week throughout the entire production process. The whole show feels like it's both falling apart and coming together all at once.
U. Ugly costumes
There's always that one costume on the fitting rack that makes you think, "Really? I have to go on stage in that?"
V. Voice
The orchestra has their instruments. The actors have their voices... Which have about a 50/50 chance of not being shot by the end of tech week from overexertion, so we'll see how this goes!
W. Warm-ups
You pregame with booze. We pregame with Solfège.
X. e(X)pression
I'm cheating a little on the letters here, but expression is one of the most common bonds that all theatre lovers share. Expression is why we put in the work, and it's one of the most rewarding things that we take away from a performance.
Y. Yahoo!
What we all scream internally when a seven hour tech rehearsal is over and we can finally go home for the night.
Z. Zzzzzzz
What we're about to do for a straight 36 hours after the show closes.
