Student Blog: A Change In Me

In a matter of a year, so much change happens. We go from spring to summer to fall to winter. We may go from waking up at 6 am every day during the school year to waking up at 11 am in the summer. In the past year, I have toured, applied, and interviewed for college, and started my first year at college away from home. I was someone who was always onstage in high school, and now I have become someone who loves being behind the scenes and being a part of the magic offstage. In the words of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, I have had “no change of heart, a change in me.”

In the past year, I have watched my perspective on theatre change for the better. While prepping for my college interviews, I would always ask myself, “Why do I want to pursue theatre in a way that I haven’t truly explored before?” Every time I would tell family and friends that I wanted to do the grand switch from being onstage to doing tech, they would ask me, “Why?” Most of the time, I would give the simple answer of “I just think it is a better idea for me personally, and I find that I really enjoy that side of theatre too.” But the in-depth answer is this:

Being part of the tech crew or the production team of a show allows you to see so much more of a show as a whole. When you are onstage, you are really only focused on the things happening around you in the moment onstage, like your fellow castmates, the prop you have to get to that's currently across the stage, or the next dance move you have to do. But when you are working on a show from a technical perspective, you get to see and be part of so much more than just that. Watching the lights come on for the first time, seeing all of the special effects come into play, and watching the set be brought to life by the actors onstage is so magical to me. In the past year, I had more opportunities to be part of production teams for multiple shows, and watching the shows go from a script, to having a cast, to having a set built, to getting the cast into costumes, to lighting up the stage so that everyone can be seen, to hearing the cast’s voice project through the theatre… that is what caused this change in me. Being able to watch a show go from 0 to 100 is what the true magic of theatre is to me, and being able to be a part of making some of that magic happen is even more valuable to me. 

So when people ask me, “Do you miss performing onstage?” My answer will always be yes, but the rewarding feeling of watching a show with some of my work in it, whether it be the lighting, audio, painting, or even if I am calling the show, is of equal reward to me, and I am so grateful that this change has occurred in me, and that I have the opportunity to be able to pursue theatre because I love watching AND making magic happen.