“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; "

William Shakespeare captured the heart of any actor in this quote. In the eyes of a performer, life is a stage. Think of our education and things leading up to our career as rehearsals. The show begins when we get our first job and settle down into a lifestyle, and the big finale of finding happiness and reaching your life's goal. Your cast is made up of the people around you. Friends, family, co workers and classmates all play a roll in your life..

Your show. It is more than the fame and the pride. Theater is my passion, my vice, my home.

Growing up in theater not only gave me a sense of belonging, but an appreciation for what I learned through the whole process.

1. Good things take practice. Late night practices and hours of reciting lines is taxing. As with any type of performing, repetition and effort are needed to bring the full potential to the table.

2. Theater is TOTALLY underappreciated. The art, especially theater, are put on the back burner to things like sports and academics in today's society. The arts create such wonderful activities for students as well as avenues to express themselves in ways that can not be done through a sport or with a test grade.

3. Actors are annoying af when we aren't on stage. Theater kids are a different type of individuals. We are dramatic (about EVERYTHING), emotional, descriptive, passionate and flat out strange at times. It is not unusual for us to burst out into song or quote lines from a song at any given time. In English class, do not act surprised when we get into the characters of the plays we read, we can't help it, okay? Most importantly, If you are planning on talking about Broadway shows to us...

Don't. (well, you can but be prepared for a three hour conversation about why we love/hate that show and/or a live performance of our favorite song if it is a musical)

4. It becomes a lifestyle. If you have been involved in ANY type of theater class or production, you know what I mean. Your cast becomes your family. You spend time together outside of your practices, you learn more about one other than you EVER wanted to know, and you learn just how much theater means to your peers.

5. Theater parents are the best parents. Point blank. Between feeding us during long rehearsals and coming to see a show they have already seen four times, these people are dedicated.

6. Your director will teach you more than blocking. It is very easy to walk on stage, say your lines, and take nothing from your experience. Thankfully, it is very rare that a theater director will let that happen. They will push you, break you, build you up, and everything in between. It takes great dedication to deal with a cast of young people for such extended periods of time, while also trying to be an adult and live a life of your own. From my own experience, my drama director was nothing short of amazing. He made me more aggravated than I have ever been, but also taught me to love myself and to be proud of who I was. For this, I will forever be grateful.

7. We all have our own story. You will never find a performer who has no reason as to why they do what they do. To me, theater created an avenue for me to be someone else when I wasnt making myself happy. I got to put my own feelings and thoughts into a character who wouldn't be judged for it. I got to see life in a new set of eyes, which is a beautiful experience. Theater has a way of opening our eyes to things we can be blind to without it.

With all of this said, theater will always be a huge part of my life. Acting isn't always about the fame and the money; it is about learning and bettering yourself, through characters and other individuals. Take this and run with it. I encourage you to keep acting and never lose sight of the theater atmosphere.