Guest Blogger: Keanna Irving

Strange things are happening in the bottom floor of an office building in New York City's Financial District.

The Westside Theatre pulsed with hip hop music and glowed with the neon lights on stage. Did I come to the right place or was this a club? I settled into my seat, ready for this one act ride.

Going to the theater is the best study break in the city. For a few short hours, the stress dissipates and you get lost in stories that actors pour out in front of you. Spontaneous excursions to the theatre have become the occasional treat that I greatly enjoy. After seeing seven shows this semester, a few have stuck out in particular.

For a few evenings during the week, several students change out of their business casual attire and push the rows of desks towards the wall, creating a makeshift rehearsal studio in an empty classroom. Within four brightly painted walls, students create art. They abandon homework for a few hours to direct, rehearse, and produce a play. For the fall of 2016, the King's College has decided to tackle Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. This show simultaneously takes place in 1809 and 1993. The 1993 characters spend their scenes researching and debating the lives, landscape, and literature of 1809 Sidley Park, a place of genius discoveries and scandal. Caitlin Coats, the freshman who plays Hannah, said that this show is 'intellectual and absurdist.'

On News Year's Eve of seventh grade, I made the resolution to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. Little did I know as a twelve year old that this would lead me down an exciting path towards an outgoing, theatrical me! I began to make the conscious choices that would push me out of my little bubble. Before long I was doing theatre and learning new styles of dance. By the end of senior year, I figured I would continue to step out of my comfort zone and move from little Boise, Idaho all the way to New York City for school. That is when I learned that I had a flaw in my mentality, as I soon discovered that life was not just about being willing to try new things, but about having the courage to fail.