BWW Blog: How My Love for Theatre Grew

There are a few points in my life where I can look back and pinpoint where my love for theatre took off. Strangely enough, two of these moments happened within weeks of each other. I had just done my first show at an intensive training program and was exposed, for the first time, to what the world of professional theatre actually looked like. I had done plays before this, but never on the same level of intensity or professionalism.

My new passion for theatre led me to try and see as many shows as possible, and just learn more about musical theatre. I saw "West Side Story'' for the first time, and my back never touched the seat. From the beginning, I was captured. Enamoured by their stories, conviction and talent. I came into a world where I felt like I was the only one in the audience. For the first time I felt like I had found the thing I was supposed to be a part of. This experience made me realize the importance of creative storytelling, and how it can transform a room into another world. With highly stylized dance, it was reflected in all parts of the show, even in how the characters interacted with each other. I could not get over it. From that moment on, I was obsessed with this show. I could not get over the feeling I had when watching it, it was like the rest of the world was somehow blurred away. It was an experience that connected me to a life I now wanted to live.

Soon after, I was lucky enough to attend a performance of Newsies. As a kid who loved big dance numbers full of tricks that I could never accomplish, I knew I needed to see the show. Strangely enough, the same thing happened again. I was far back, in a bad seat, but I felt connected to something bigger than myself. The rest of my anxious eighth grade world and its minute problems seemed to fade away as I relished in the connection I felt with the story.

Today, as a self proclaimed broadway nut, I find myself (and my friends) going into shows with incredibly high expectations. Usually, I've memorized the soundtrack and cannot wait to see it realized within the story, and I have most definitely stalked youtube for clips of the cast performing on "Good Morning America." However, I think this feeling of being truly immersed in the moment only comes when you go into a show blind, like I did in these two instances. You're not worried about anything happening to ruin the experience or the perfection of the show. You walk in the theatre with the sole aim of connecting to a story and it's characters, and dive into a world you might not know yet. This ignorance allows for true immersion between you and the show, and it can honestly be the most freeing feeling in the world. I recommend trying it, especially if you never have. As a storyteller myself, it is incredible to see the world of the play through a foreign lens, of which perhaps was intended by the writer and director.