When I was 11, I auditioned for my first show ever. It was my city's production of "The Music Man" and I was cast as a pit choir girl a few days later. My part was nothing close to a supporting character and a complete separate entity to the ensemble. We stood on a two-foot tall platform away from the stage, lit by a freestanding light that a mom would turn on before a song began. Being a part of this pit choir was nothing special, but it was all I needed to know that I had been bit by the theatre bug.
Years later, I am now a sophomore studying Theatre Studies & Dramaturgy at an amazing school. Every summer and break, I return home to work with theatre camps, my city's annual Repertory Festival, or local school theatre productions. I seem to eat, sleep, and breathe theatre. However, I found that I am focusing less on what is performing on Broadway and more on what is being created in smaller, community theaters.
Theatre is so much more than what happens to be playing in New York or Chicago or Los Angeles. To me, theatre is about telling stories that need to be told. A few weeks ago, I was talking to one of my theatre friends about a show he had seen while studying abroad in London this past fall. He said that the show closed one of the actors saying, "Thank you for listening. At least you heard my story." If we, as a collection of people, decide to not see theatre and hear that story, who will? Who would be able to tell about Prior and his experience with the Angel? How would we ever know about the life of Alexander Hamilton? As an audience, we are experiencing these stories and we are, then, the ones who can go forth and tell it again.
Along with the ability to tell stories, theatre also has the capability of showcasing so many artistic opportunities. Theatre artists could be performers, designers, directors, playwrights, musicians, dancers, and so on and so forth. In being that designer or performer, we learn how we can be artists and how much we rely on art in our society. The buildings we inhabit, the clothes we wear, the music we listen to are all different forms of art and theatre can bring them together in sets, costumes, and music. In doing so we connect as a society.
For me, theatre has been the highest form of leadership experience. After my sophomore year in high school, all of our previous stage managers and backstage crew had graduated. We were left with very few students who understood the responsibilities of working backstage and during rehearsals. So, I stepped in whenever I could while I continued performing. I learned how to juggle multiple obligations, such as helping find costume ideas and deciding on how the set should be while memorizing lines. I had to know how to talk and lead people, not necessarily be in control. Stepping into these roles made me prepared for what would be expected of me in college as a double major juggling numerous on-campus jobs and organizations. I have also seen how theatre has provided others with the opportunities to become leaders, such as being a dance captain or leading a group in music rehearsals. In theatre, especially smaller theatre, we have the chance to create something from scratch and we need the leaders that will help make it grow to be strong.
I study theatre because I want to bring that art to others. I want to be a creator and an artist, and I want to encourage others to be artists as well. In 2014, U.S. News stated that funds in roughly 80 percent of United States school districts have been cut since 2008, and the first area of study to get thrown out is the arts. If schools cannot afford to have art programs within their curricula, I want to provide that to students, their families, and their communities. Ultimately, I study theatre because theatre is what has made me the person I am today. Although the organizations I’m a part of and the jobs I’ve had have shaped who I am, it’s because of theatre that I am more outgoing and courageous. I have become a more understanding leader and I know that I am always constantly learning something new. Theatre has given me a life that is full of energy and light, and I want others to experience that as well.
