As a young child who was practically raised on Disney musicals, I had always had an interest in music. This ranged from instrumental music, choral music and eventually musical theater. During my four years of high school, I had been in four musicals all ranging in difficulty but all of which required hard work from the various people involved. Looking back, while I do miss performing, being a part of these productions (no matter what the show was) required a numerous amount of patience, impeccable timing, an iron will, loads of confidence and the ability to realize that even when you put in 110% effort, not everyone will notice what you individually have done to make the show function smoothly. Because of that, I can personally relate to other theater kids who might have had similar if not the same experiences. And while I might not know every single past theater kid who reads this, I hope you can comfort in the fact that there are others out there who understand your experiences.
To whoever this may concern,
First off, I just want you to know that you were and continue to be a warrior. You were able to survive countless hours of rehearsals, tech weeks, line memorizing, song memorizing (if you were in musical theater), costume fittings, makeup applying and most of all, the positive and negative judgment of your peers. Regardless of how much time you have spent on stage, even if you are only on for one scene, for some (including myself) it can feel like a lifetime. To be able to keep your head up high and keep performing for the masses even if you or someone else messes up takes confidence that only some people can achieve.
Secondly, while not everyone in the theater can get the main roles that everyone wants, it is important to realize that every role you have played was vital in making sure the show runs smoothly. Background dancers and smaller roles make the scenes feel more realistic and allow the audience to really feel immersed in the scene. Without them, scenes that require crowds and big dance sequences cannot be executed correctly. Even though this should be common knowledge, in my opinion, people who are not cast as the main characters do not hear this enough. Despite putting in nearly the same amount of work as the leads do, not everyone acknowledges what they contribute to the overall picture. While this is no one's fault, I just wanted to acknowledge those who have felt as though their particular role is not important.
Lastly, I just want to thank you for all the work you have done and continue to do in order to entertain others. Even if you do not realize it, chances are your performance positively affected someone and possibly inspired someone to go into theater later in their lives. No matter what roles you have played, you have worked hard in order to make each performance the best it can be in order to make others smile and make yourself content. While every theater kid is beautifully unique, somehow we are all similar in the sense that we have struggled at times but despite that, we kept going with a smile on our faces. And for that, whether or not you continue to be in theater productions, make sure to give it your all and break a leg.
With Love,
Tatiana Rengifo
