“It’s the actors who are usually the ones who make fools of themselves, who are usually the ones who come to mean something to the audience.” –Christian Bale.
Since April of 2012, I have been in a grand total of 9 theatrical productions at my town’s community theater, known as the Star Theater, or, as us locals call it, The Star. The theater has an extravagant history, having been built in the early 1940s and having officially opened as a movie cinema in 1949. It was renovated and reopened in July of 1994, where countless theatrical productions have been planned, rehearsed, and performed to this day. It’s safe to say that The Star is a place that is certainly full of history; some even say that the theater itself is haunted, although I myself have never witnessed anything unusual except for the occasional cold chill, or the shadow-out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye, or the feeling that I’m not alone when I should have reason to think that I am. The Star Theater, just as any live theater is to the actors and actresses that participate in their shows that they put on, is a place that is full of magic. Anyone who comes in to perform, no matter what kind of day they’ve had before coming to the theater, leaves feeling happy, refreshed, and accomplished. I can tell you from experience that you feel like you’ve actually done something to make the community and it’s people a brighter, happier place, simply by being a source of good entertainment. So why is it that hardly anyone wants to get involved with theater? I have friends who would rather take a beating than even walk onstage in front of an audience for 3 minutes. One of my ambitions in my life is to encourage my friends, as well as anyone else, why they should get involved in live theater.
1. You Have the Opportunity to Travel Through Time
No, you don’t get to ride around in a DeLorean like Marty McFly was able to. But you can audition for, and play a role in productions that have a setting of years gone by. From the costumes to the props to the storyline itself, actors/actresses begin to find themselves feeling like they have actually stepped back in history. In my personal acting history, I can proudly say that I have sailed the ocean in The Titanic, witnessed John Smith’s encounter with Pocahontas when the Englishmen discovered the ‘new world’, and have even entered the story of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, Oliver Twist. My love of history has grown tremendously since I started acting in plays at The Star, and if you want be able to travel through time and history as well, consider participating in theater!
2. You Can Have a Whole New Persona
When you act, you can give yourself any kind of personality that you want. If you consider yourself to be a pretty kind, conservative person, if the character that you are assigned to has more of a sassy side, or perhaps you’ve been cast as the villain in a play, you have the right to freely change your persona into something totally different. I have always heard that if a person onstage can thoroughly convince you that they are one way, when in reality they are the exact opposite, they have done an excellent acting job. And on the plus side, it gives you an excuse to take your anger and deep, dark hatred for things out onstage, and no one will ever suspect.
3. You Can Make New Friends
Let me tell you something- there are no friends like theater friends. If you aren't the world's biggest social butterfly, but you still desire to have good, lifelong friends, then I encourage you to participate in a theater group. Throughout my time at The Star, I have befriended many, many, many different people, who are still there for me, even to this very day. Theater is a good place to meet others with the same interests as you, and even if my friends and I aren’t in a play together, we are still the best of pals.
4. You Get The Chance To Make Other People Happy
There’s no denying it; when it comes to live theater, everyone leaves with a good attitude and a smile on their faces. The spectators get the pleasure of being able to enjoy good, clean entertainment with their families or are able to cheer up after a difficult day or a difficult time in their lives, and the actors and actresses get the pleasure of knowing that they were able to make other people happy, simply by doing what they love. Theater is a win-win situation, y’all.
I feel that everyone should do at least one play in their lifetime; I mean, think about it! You can travel time for free, you’re able to express how you really feel through your character, you can make lifelong buddies, and you get the satisfaction of knowing that you made your audience forget about their problems, even if for only a little while, and that sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Live theater is amazing, wonderful, and truly magical, and I encourage everyone to get involved in it when they get the opportunity.
