BWW Blog: What Theatre Has Taught Me

In my twenty years of life, I have experienced countless hobbies and passions, but I can 100% say that theatre is the best thing to ever happen to me. I love everything about it and I take what I learned in the theatre and put it into effect in my personal life. The only downside is that whenever I tell someone that I am majoring in theatre, I can see the concern in their face almost immediately. Few people understand why so many of us have a love for theatre and why we are interested in a career in the field. For my last article, I want to share why I chose theatre and what I have learned from it over the years!

1. Happiness

Whenever someone asks me why I like theatre, the first thing I say is that it makes me happy. Theatre gives me something to smile about each day, whether it be a rehearsal in the afternoon, an opening night performance or even just a song I listened to in the shower. Theatre gives me something to work towards and helps me develop my personal career goals. Because of theatre, I have decided that I want to be a theatre educator, as well as open a theatre camp for children in the near future.

2. Confidence

Theatre has taught me confidence. When I was younger, I was scared of everything - scared to speak up, scared to try new things, scared to take risks. Theatre has taught me that taking risks and going big is the best thing you can do for yourself. You can't be scared to do what makes you happy and you can't fear the unknown. Theatre has taught me to be bold, be fearless and be myself.

3. Life Skills

Theatre has also taught me basic life skills. After many years of stage crew and working on technical theatre projects, I can now put what I learned from them into effect in my own life. For example, I can build a table after being a part of the construction crew, I can run a professional social media page and website after being a social media manager and I can sew a dress after working as a costume designer. After directing a show, I learned how to be a good leader, as well as be a good collaborator. I learned how different production roles can help you in everyday life, even with something as simple as a lighting designer teaching you how to change a lightbulb.

4.Life Lessons

Before theatre, I never understood the importance of hardwork and dedication. Theatre will push you out of your comfort zone and make you work harder than ever before, but I learned to enjoy fighting for the best possible product and not giving up when something is hard. Theatre has also taught me the importance of diversity and inclusion and how important it is to give everyone a chance to have their voice heard and have their moment to shine in the spotlight.

5. Living in the Moment

Theatre also taught me to live in the moment. As an actor, you learn to act as if every scene is happening right then and there. You are taught to actively listen to others and how to respond effectively. I learned to take these lessons and put it into effect in my real life. It helps me enjoy the little things in life and to not worry about what will come next.

Overall, theatre has taught me to treat life like a show. Theatre taught me to be myself and live life to the fullest. I strive to make myself the best character I can be and enjoy every scene of my life. Like William Shakespeare once said, "All the world's a stage" but to me, the stage is my world.