BWW Blog: Meet Hannah Love - Community vs. School Theatre

Growing up in a pretty big town in Georgia has had a lot of perks. One of them includes the amount of amazing school theatre programs we have in the area around us, and it's inspiring to see others working hard as you while balancing tedious hours of homework and studying and maybe even a job. Then there are also the community theatre productions, whether it is at the church down the street or at a cool studio you've heard so many people praising. Opportunity has always been available around me. Still, there's the question of what to do with my free time. Do I audition for the big school musical, or do I test the waters at a creative theater down the street with a director I've never worked with? Maybe you've had the same dilemma as a young, aspiring theatre nerd. Both have their advantages. It's up to the artist to decide.

First off, school theatre has been a wonderful blessing to be a part of in my years of middle and high school. I arrive to school every day and instead of waiting in the grimy cafeteria for classes to start, I walk up to my school's performing arts building. There, I'm able to greet my fellow theatre geeks and talk about how Spring Awakening is closing or how attractive Corey Cott and Darren Criss are. The list of conversation topics is limitless. They're even able to help me with schoolwork whenever we get a break. Participating in an activity at school allows me to feel like I can have pride in the place where I go to learn.

With the workload of high school, it can get pretty stressful trying to balance what you love and getting a good education. Imagine a time where maybe you were failing a class, and your parents wanted you to drop out of a show. That is not an option. Luckily, doing theatre within your school allows things to be so much easier. Instead of having to drive to another studio, eating McDonald's three times a week, and getting changed in a moving car, the only place you got to go to is the Performing Arts Center. Being social with people at my school (besides the people in musical theatre) has been really rough for me (My sense of humor includes watching funny Ham4Ham shows and listening to Lin-Manuel Miranda's laugh), so I know I can go to people within the shows we're working on and ask for help on my calculus homework. There's a 95% chance that I'll find someone who knows what they're talking about when it comes to logarithms and cosine graphs.

Although school productions have great advantages when it comes to the accessibility and a relatable social environment, community theatre has become something I truly admire doing. Meeting new people is something you need to do to create connections. As a high school student, you also may end up doing shows with adults who will be able to offer you advice about a future in theatre. Sometimes your parents don't know what to say when you tell them, "Mom and Dad, I want to be a Theatre Major." It's fun to work with adults who can share embarrassing stories about their theatre mishaps but also the memories of working with other great actors. You get to work with different directors, who can offer you feedback to show you what you really need to focus on to improve your performing abilities. If one person tells you that you have two left feet, you might ignore them and just take it as jealousy. But if more and more people keep telling that you really should work on your dancing, you should probably take their advice and get some dance classes in.

Community theatre also gets rid of a lot of uncommitted performers. When you have to make en effort to drive to rehearsal countless nights, people that don't want to be there will not take the time to audition surely to goodness. It provides with you a world of theatre that is so incredible, and everyone is willing to work 110% just to be able to convey a beautiful story to your audience.

Jumping out of your comfort zone and making new friends can be scary. It's like going to a new school, except everyone likes to sing and dance and talk about show tunes. Doing community theatre can tell you if it's something you want to pursue for the rest of your life, and you can introduce yourself to new directors, new actors, and new audience members. Fresh perspective is always good. School theatre provides accessibility for people who can't drive to and from a local theatre but still want to follow their passion for performing. It is an easier balance for school and what you love. Both are amazing options and have their advantages. It's up to you to decide what's better for you. Best of luck!