Student Blog: Traveling Back in Time to Theatre Years’ Past

I was recently taken back in time when I saw my little sister’s production of Suessical: The Musical at my former middle school. Those hallways and classrooms were where I really discovered my love for theatre, and though I don’t actively participate in theatre anymore (other than seeing productions at my college and on Broadway), I will never lose my love for it. 

I did three musicals and a number of plays in middle school, and it was such a joy to watch my younger sister fall into those same footsteps all these years later. It was where I conquered a lot of my anxiety, where I discovered some of my favorite musicals, like Hamilton, Heathers, Once on this Island, and more. It was where I really learned what community is, and that has stuck with me ever since.

My old director still works for the middle school as a drama teacher, and during her opening speech before the show started, she said something that really made me grateful. She said, “All of these kids are here doing this without paying a single dime, which is not common for most theatre companies in this country.” I had never thought about it until that moment, but she was right. Every rehearsal, costume, musical track, set piece, all of it was paid for by donations to our school, and never by us students or our parents. That is something extremely special. These kids get to be themselves every day in the Drama Department without a price tag holding them back.
Currently, as a college junior, I am taking a theatre course at my college titled, “Drama & Theatre in the U.S.”. It’s the first theatre class I have taken since eighth grade. Granted, there isn’t actual acting or singing involved, but it’s my favorite class this semester. It covers extremely interesting topics, and as someone who doesn’t often read plays, it has allowed me to discover so much amazing theatre that I never would have found on my own.

Even though my sister has only one year of middle school left, I really hope she continues this journey, because it’s so wonderful to get to see her in the same shoes that I have been in. It is a reminder that we take the arts for granted time and time again in the world, but that they make a real impact on our youth and on the people who consume it