Does the title bother you? Drove me nuts for a while, where only one spelling was accepted on spelling tests and English classes throughout my public schooling. It wasn’t until I was a few years into college that I was taught that the traditional American spelling (theater) was used to refer to the building, whereas its counterpart was used when describing the art style. But I didn’t start this post to discuss etymology of words, so let’s dive into the real substance of this post, shall we?
It’s genuinely hard for me to remember a time I was uncomfortable with a crowd watching me, even though I know there definitely was a point in my life where that was the case. I suppose in that sense, theatre helped me to become comfortable with presentations in school, among similar activities. I distinctly remember a project I did in middle school on the French Revolution, in which each student had to do a presentation on the assigned topic, and I remember it mainly for how theatrical I turned the project when dramatically describing the last words of one of the major political figures of the era, and my abrupt change in tone talking about the immediate aftermath. Later in life, this also helped me to participate and get first place in a Poetry Slam when it was my first time even going to the event, never mind actually participating in it, and again aided me when I had to do a presentation on a thesis required to complete my undergraduate degree.
Apart from helping me become comfortable with public speaking, theatre also offered lessons of a different kind. Theatre helped me through those awkward years as an adolescent…those years that, in roughly the words of John Mulaney: “…and you were like ‘no one look at me, or I’ll die.’” Yes, as counterintuitive as it seems, theatre did help with that for a few different reasons. The first of these reasons I view as something like immersion therapy, forcing yourself in a situation where all eyes will be on you to figure out standing up to that particular inner demon. The second reason I think is one of the factors that helped me discover my love of writing; that on stage I could be someone else and escape the real world for a while.
That is not to say theatre is a way to avoid all negativity. I’ve found over the years that being exposed to so many different personalities through theatre can be a double-edged sword. It’s equally possible that one can meet some talented and delightful people, and yet at the same time it is no less likely meeting people who have a little too much confidence. Sometimes directors feel they can excuse it in exchange for the quality of performer they are getting. Unfortunately, I have found that more often than not, those kind of people are a rarity, and that they think having the behavior of one offstage will endow them with the talent of one. They are wrong. My philosophy when it comes to the theater I work in is that everyone there is not being paid for any of their actions, so I do what I can to help make it the pleasant experience that it should be.
Just one quick note before I go; I was experiencing computer problems last week and was not able to get on and post. Barring technology related issues, I’m hoping to make these posts on a weekly basis.