Student Blog: How Musical Theater Has Impacted Me

When I was two years old, I was shown The Wizard of Oz on VHS and it was the first time I fell in love. My senses as a two year old were stimulated by the color and gracefulness of the film and overall, I was mesmerized by Judy Garland playing Dorothy.

Growing up, my three older sisters were always singing and became involved in our school choir, so when I was in Kindergarten, I gave it a try. I ended up enjoying it so much that I was involved in choir all through grade school and my freshman year of high school.

Musical theater was introduced to me when I saw my oldest sister Jenna in her high school production of Meet Me in St. Louis during her freshman year when I was in third grade. I never watched something so intensely and I thought to myself "I want to be on that stage."

I started doing plays and musical productions very small and locally and then from fifth to eighth grade, I was involved in my church's summer stock. I performed in Once On This Island, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, and Peter Pan as Tiger Lily. I was also involved in my school's production of Alice in Wonderland when I was in eighth grade.

When I began high school, I was nervous because of the change in the environment, especially in the theater department. Regardless of my doubts, doing theater in high school was the best decision I could have made because I grew as a person and actress on and off stage. Every fall we did a play and every spring we did a musical and I participated in all of them to receive more experience.

I performed in Legally Blonde as a Delta Nu, Cinderella, Fame as Mabel, and Hairspray as Edna Turnblad. This theater experience helped me step out of my comfort zone as an introverted person. I broke out of my shell with the help of my theater director. I made so many unforgettable memories during my high school musical theater experience.

Since I decided not to be a musical theater major in college, I knew my theater opportunities would be limited. But thankfully, I found a club on campus called Under Siege, which gave non-musical theater and non-acting majors a chance to perform. I joined Cabaret, which is under Under Siege, where we perform musical theater songs based around a theme. I loved being a part of this club since my freshman year and this experience gave me the space to open myself up again to an audience.