OnStage Blog: Three performers—one an up-and-coming ingenue, one a world-famous musician, and one… well, me—share center stage as we take our first bow of Cinderella at Diamond Head Theatre.
As I squeeze their hands and hear the cacophony of applause and cheehoos from the sold-out opening night audience, I realize that the three of us are glowing.
5 comments:
This article is a beautiful story and summary of one of the things I love the most about theater. Like the writer, I also find a safe haven and a home in the theater. Part of that is definitely being surrounded by loving, caring people who share my passions and dedication to our craft. Being around people who care makes the theater feel like home. It makes it feel safe to make creative choices and create my art without fear of judgment. Another thing that makes me feel safe and at home in the theater is being able to tell a story and fall away from the real world for just a moment. I get to take people away and create, not just for myself but for audience members, a space where people can enjoy themselves and find meaning in a fun new way. All of this is why I could never see myself not doing theater.
I wouldn’t be doing theatre as a career if it weren’t for the safe, home, feeling it gave me. The theatre is the once place I can come to and feel like I belong. It is the one place that tells stories in the best art form imaginable. It is a place where others, much like myself, come to to feel safe and that makes the feeling of safety all the more stronger. That magic feeling is felt althrought a show’s process, but when you get to closing night and get to relish in the joy of “Yeah I do this. And I love it.” The article does mention the fact that when we uncover stories of abuse and toxicity and mismanagement that it’s heartbreaking, and it truly is. The theatre should always be a safe place where people who just love this craft can come and be their truest selves.
There's nothing better than feeling safe in space where you get to do what you like to do. When I was around 10, I had to make the choice Of whether I wanted to continue with playing soccer on a team, or dancing in a studio. Although at first the decision seemed extremely hard, I ended up choosing dance pretty quickly. At the time, it didn't feel like an insane decision, but I also didn't realize that the Performing Arts would be a part of my life for this long. Being on a soccer field versus being in a dance studio was an entirely different feeling for me. For some reason, being on the field didn't feel like home at all, whereas spending my afternoons and the dance studio surrounded by people I loved both being with and answering with felt like a decision that would be much better for me in the future.
The theater is one of the first places I felt safe in because of the ability to be able to openly express yourself while simultaneously playing another character. Our form of expression in the theater is so unique and distinct, as well as our journey into the craft. Which is why I really enjoyed how this article discussed the reasonings and motives behind the women being able to play their dream roll. It shows how everyone in the theater and everyone within a show has a different reasoning and backstory that correlates to why they engage in theater. Which aids in shaping ones self and the role that they have decided to take on. Additionally, I found it intriguing when the author stated that were able to take a look at their younger selves. Being able to step back and see how far you've come after working so diligently in your craft is a very special thing to be able to do and shows how significant it is to step back from your work once in a while and show appreciation to yourself.
One of the things you learn socially as a kid (at least in media) is that kids who don't quite fit in often find themselves within the arts, especially within the theatre medium. As a whole, theatre has always been the place where people have fit in, and been able to find an accepting community, at least over the past 50 or so years. What really does it for me is seeing how supportive a lot of members of the theatre community are of marginalized groups, and how adaptive the modern industry has become to upholding the voices of these groups not only in practice, but within the content being produced as well. Even hearing older theatre artists talk about the progressive nature of their earlier career gives light to the idea that the theatre continues to be a place where anyone can belong and feel safe enough to express themselves.
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