Being shy in theatre is hard, but it certainly shouldn't stop you.
I always loved performing-- I danced when I was younger and I always felt very anxious right before, but immediately better once I got on stage. I am a quiet person, to people I don't know anyway, which always had drawbacks when it came to performances. It is more of a challenge for me to speak in front of a few people as opposed to an audience. Through my childhood, whenever I told someone I loved to perform, nine out of ten times they would say something along the lines of, "you know you will have to talk right?" This was troubling because it made me feel like I couldn't succeed when deep down I knew that there was so much more to performance.
As I was going into college and choosing a major, I thought about what I really loved doing. I chose theatre, regardless of everyone who thought I couldn't do it. I knew I would have to work harder to be able to put myself out there and show I wasn't afraid. For me, there is a huge difference between awkward small talk and performing prepared lines or movements. Of course, I can make small talk, I would just rather do anything else.
It is true that a lot of theatre people are outgoing; they have big personalities and voices which is great, and I'm sure this helps them out when they need to project their voice. But not everyone is outgoing and that needs to be okay, too. Quiet people can be loud; people with stage fright can overcome it with support. None of these things are reasons to give up theatre and no one should be discouraged from pursuing what they love.
I can't let such a small part of who I am be the guiding feature for my life. I am so much more than quiet. Performing is so much more important to me than my anxiety. This semester alone, I have become so much more comfortable talking in front of people, and this was largely due to having really good professors and classmates who didn't "shy-shame" me. Performing is about showing a little bit of yourself--who you truly are-- and everybody has something to give.
