The theater has always been, in my opinion, one of the most welcoming communities we have. Being a theater lover and performer, I find that it is in the theater where I feel most comfortable. It's been a place where no matter what's going on, what your past is, people will accept you for you. The theater is a warm community. It's a place where I have met some of my best friends, grown as a person and found other performers I'm glad to call inspirations. It doesn't matter your race, religion, who you love, or who you feel you should be, the theater has welcomed everyone with open arms.
1. You can be yourself.
As an artist, being yourself is sometimes the hardest version of yourself to be. The vulnerability it takes to be completely naked emotionally and sometimes physically requires a safe space to explore. The theater has developed that. Sometimes it's only in those moments, where you've stripped down everything that you find your true self. I believe the stereotype of theater being the so called mecca for the gay community is here because the theater doesn't judge - it embraces.
2.The theater community is a family.
It's a place where people with all different walks of life come together and connect. Some of my closest friends I met through theater. A cast becomes a family, and through each cast member the family grows with the people you meet. Like most families, theater has its problems, but they're worked out and dealt with.
3. Connecting with the performers.
In the digital age we live in now, connecting with performers is easier than ever. With Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat, contacting a performer, specifically theater performers are literally at our fingertips. Heavy social media users include Tony Award winners Lin-Manuel Miranda and Audra McDonald. Looking at Broadway performers' social media accounts, you can see that they do more than just sing, dance and act.
4. Broadway performers are activists for equal rights.
Broadway has multiple philanthropic endeavors to help out various causes. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is an organization I am passionate about that raises money for HIV/AIDS research by putting on various events like the Broadway Flea Market, Broadway Barks, an animal adoption event, Broadway Bares, Broadway Backwards, The Easter Bonnet Competition. All of these events help raise money for worthy causes. "Hamilton" has recently given light to the Graham Windham Foundation originally co-founded by Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. The foundation's mission "strives to make a life-altering difference with children, youth and families affected by abuse, neglect and delinquency by providing each child we serve with a strong foundation for life: a safe, loving, permanent family and the opportunity and preparation to thrive in school and in the world."
5. Broadway can make a difference.
This video is Broadway for Orlando's "What the World Needs Now." This recording was created just three days after the mass shooting in Orlando, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to benefit LGBT Center of Central Florida. It can be downloaded on iTunes. This recording gathered all Broadway stars, including Idina Menzel, Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, Lin-Manuel Miranda, recording artists Carole King and Sara Bareilles, Gloria Estefan and so many more lend their voices to make a difference.
The more I spend in the theater community, the more I realize that I'm so lucky to have found my home. A lot of people think I'm going into acting for the fame, but I'm not; fame has nothing to do with it. I'm here to make a difference in someone's life, even if it's just one person. I'm here to bring joy to people and to make them feel something. That's what theater is about - connecting with people, accepting people and trying to make a difference. I think the world could learn a lesson from the theater community to be more accepting of all people regardless of race, who they love, who they feel they are, size, or religion.
The Tony Awards occurred on June 12, a mere 18 hours after the shooting began in Orlando - because of this, they dedicated the Tony's to the lives lost. Although multiple speeches paid tribute and brought light onto the tragic event, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony acceptance speech for Best Score is particularly moving. Please Skip to 1:45 and watch, let it sink in and take it to heart.
My wife’s the reason anything gets done
She nudges me towards promise by degrees
She is a perfect symphony of one,
Our son is her most beautiful reprise
We chase the melodies that seem to find us
Until they’re finished songs and start to play
When senseless acts of tragedy remind us
That nothing here is promised, not one day
This show is proof that history remembers
We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger
We rise and fall and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love lasts long
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love
Cannot be killed or swept aside,
I sing Vanessa’s symphony, Eliza tells her story
Now fill the world with music love and pride
