There is an ever-popular phrase, "Fake it, till you make it.” And I am sure that it rings true for many people, myself included. Believe it or not, but many years ago, I was not the same, hyperactive and quick-witted guy — I was very quiet and shy. But that all changed one year in high school when I decided to take up a theater class.
I still remember my first theater class like it was yesterday. It was my last class for the day, so I was obviously very tired. And with all first day of classes, we had to go over some logistics of the class and whatnot. After that was over we had to get right into it. Well damn, I thought to myself, this will be an awful beginning. We did a bunch of improv games. Thankfully, like the rest of the class, we were all bad at it. So even if I looked like a fool, we all looked like fools together. And as time went on, I became closer to my fellow classmates and started breaking out of my shell.
To many people, theater is quite possibly one of the worst classes you can take. It’s not because it is hard, but because it forces you to be outside your comfort zone. But drama had valuable life lessons. In order to succeed in the world, you will need to learn how to act outside your comfort zone.
A theater class or two can help you overcome your reservations in life. There are many skills you can learn from this class that will translate to real life skills. For example, with improv, it teaches you how to be quick on your feet and react to any possible situation. Another example would be auditioning for a play. When you get a role for a play, you need to put your absolute best effort into it. You cannot slack off or you could ruin the entire thing. You have to memorize many lines and work on your chemistry with your co-stars. The skills you learn from this would be very useful in the school, or work world.
The first play I ever auditioned for was, "Murder at Coppersmith Inn." It is a murder mystery satire based off of three girls pretending to be extravagant college actors with storied histories in the field of theater. The play is fraught with miscues and mistakes, which makes it a great and fun experience for all, but it also taught me many things. Firstly, memorizing lines is hard and boring. Even on the day of the show, people would still be shuffling about and practicing their lines. Another was how to overcome stage fright. If you have ever heard the phrase "picture everyone in their underwear," well, that phrase does not really work in a play. The blinding stage lights block you from seeing the audience very well, so unless you have super mega vision, that is useless to you. Instead, I did what everyone else would do, I gave myself a pep talk in the mirror. It was a simple talk: "I'm the best, and everyone else is trash." Life is all about confidence. I do not see anyone else in the audience performing in a play in front of 500 plus people. Needless to say, it worked. I lost the stage fright that I believed would ruin me.
Besides all the useful skills you can learn from theater, it is just fun. Once everyone lets loose their inhibitions, that’s when the magic happens. Theater is always full of laughs and merriment. Sure, there can be serious moments, such as when you’re doing a monologue about paint thinner, but once you finally nail that scene, the sense of accomplishment floods your heart with happiness.
Whether you’re in college, high school or working the night shift at the hospital, it is never too late or too early to take a theater class. And furthermore, there is nothing wrong with faking it till you make it. I’ve done it and theater is what I have to thank for that. Even if you do not make it, you can still fake it because you now have the skill to do so. You can never tell if someone has actually made it, or if they’re actually faking it. Who knows, maybe I’m still faking it. I’ll never tell.
