All of us have experienced the dreaded question of, “So, what’s your major?” at every family function. We are asked what we plan to do with our degree after we walk across the stage and become alumni. Most people aren’t asked this question with a hint of distaste behind their voices, but for all of us theatre majors, the distaste is there and it’s obvious. We understand why the distaste is there. We get it. We have heard all of your questions. You ask if we are planning on making lots of money or if we are planning on breaking into the industry immediately.
What you should know is that we are not theatre majors because we desire money or fame. It’s because, at some point in our life, theatre made everything make sense. It made us feel connected to the world in a way that we weren’t before. There was a show, a director, a choreographer, a technical director or a castmate that made everything feel right at a moment in our lives, and we didn’t ever want to let go of that.
For me, it took me a while to commit to theatre. I grew up on the stage, but I got frustrated with the way things were handled in my community theatre. So, I gave up because a place that felt safe growing up didn’t feel safe anymore. One college transfer and a few declarations of majors later, college brought theatre back to me. I found my home again. I have made some of the best friends I could ever dream of making. I am accepted for who I am: loud and unashamed. Because of the educators and mentors that have been put in my path within the last year, I have been inspired to follow in their footsteps. This is something I want to teach one day because, in this world we live in, every child deserves to feel accepted and creative. They deserve to feel comfortable being themselves. For some children, it might take a while like it did for me, but it will happen, and when it does, they will be unstoppable.
So, to you who give us weird looks when we tell you our majors, know that we are not oblivious to your glares and that we are fully aware of how insecure this industry can be sometimes, but know that this industry saved us. It made us who we are. We are nothing without it, and we are very certain about who we want to be.
Photo Credit: Wojtek Witkowski