“Why do you spend so much time in the theatre? Go outside!”
“Being an actor is a dead-end job!”
“Theatre kids are so weird!”
If you’re in theatre then chances are you’ve heard all of these being yelled at you by your so-called “intellectuals” who are supposed to be giving you good life advice but instead they deter you from something that makes you happy. Why are theatre kids always ridiculed for something that makes them happy and from something that people will pay hard earned money to go see? Why is a place of acceptance so hard for people to understand?
For me, theatre was a place I ran to when I was trying to find who I was. After my dreams of playing soccer came to a halt, I had nothing to do with my spare time and I was starting to become bored and longing for a team to be a part of. When I went to middle school I was stuck in the choir class. I walked in that room ready for two semesters of torture but since the first day it changed my life. I met so many new and amazing people and learned so much new repertoire that I wouldn’t have been exposed to if not for choir. After I was comfortable with my singing voice (that took a while as I’m still very new to the arts), my friends and family persisted that I join musical theatre. At first I was hesitant because I was still new at singing and I wasn’t (still not) but I joined and once again I was blown away on how accepting and loving and kind everyone was. So far I’ve only been in two theatre productions, Shrek and Little Shop of Horrors. Within these two productions I found so much love and acceptance that it has become my, and many others’, safe place. Most theatre kids have theatre as their escape from the judgmental world we live in.
For most theatre kids, it is the only place where it is acceptable to be who you are. A place where everyone is different and united under a single production. There is no greater feeling when all your harmonies come into play and when all your choreography is timed perfectly or when the audience gives you a standing ovation for all your hard work. Or when you’re backstage jamming out to all your favorite songs while trying to keep as quiet as possible. Or after each show and you all go out together and celebrate as a family. When people judge others for a feeling as lucrative as this, we almost feel sorry for the people who don’t get to experience what we experience.
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