CMU School of Drama


Monday, July 17, 2017

What It's Like To Do Theatre In A Rural Community

Theatre Nerds: I would hope this is not a story that has been particularly overdone, but in case it is, I apologize.

My name is Reagan Drury, and I have spent the last 5 years of my life living in a town of about 900 people in rural Missouri. I know, I know, that sounds like a hick town, and all ingenues come from somewhere like Ohio or Iowa, right?

You will be right about that if I make it in the theatre world. Time will tell on that aspect. I have been doing theatre since I was in 4th grade, and I immediately fell in love with it. I have now graduated high school and am attending a private college in Minneapolis in the fall to study theatre.

1 comment:

Sammy Williams said...

My school used to be similar to the one described by Reagan Drury, but our situation improved significantly when we had a change in administration last year. During my freshman and sophomore years, theatre unfortunately did not receive much recognition from the school, mainly because people were more focused on our title-winning football team (no shade to them, they were actually pretty cool!). There were many productions where even the principal didn’t come to see a single show. It was a little disheartening, but we worked through it the same way Drury did: by putting all our effort into the program, taking all opportunities, and focusing on the people who did give us support. Through doing those things, we garnered a community that wanted to support and participate in our theatre. Luckily, we now have an incredibly supportive administration team that makes consistent efforts to improve our arts programs. It’s a shame that some schools still have communities who don’t see all that theatre has to offer. I wish theater would be given an opportunity to shine in these places, because it truly is life-changing.
-Sammy Williams