While I have loved anything and everything that involved theatre since I was little, it was not until I started studying it more in depth in high school, however, that I realized just how worthwhile it is. It amazes me that yes, people understand the basics of theatre; actors, singers, dancers, etc. perform on stage and people are behind the scenes, but do not know much more than that. Although they are technically correct, focusing on the actors and simply being aware of the talented folks behind the scenes only scratches the surface. There is so much more to theatre and the men and women who are involved in it than meets the eye.
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Theatre is a melting pot. One of the many reasons that is special is because it encompasses so many different people and branches of the arts as well. Think about it; if you’ve ever seen a Broadway, high school, community theatre or other kind of production, you have seen the end product of an amazing combination of any and all of the following elements; literature, dance, vocal music, instrumentation, visual art, poetry, puppetry, etc. as well as a lot of determination, practice, effort, time, talent, and love, among others, put into the production by the cast, crew, playwright, composer, conductor, musicians and more. Sure, there are actors on stage, but have you ever stopped to think who trained those actors? Who designed and fitted them for costumes? Who did their makeup? What about the lights on stage; who is moving them? Who is turning them off and on? And, who is monitoring the sound effects and assuring that every technical cue (sometimes, five hundred or more) is accurate? That set looks really fancy and complicated, huh? People built it (and will eventually have to strike it) with their own two hands. What about publicity? Maintenance of a performance space? Concessions? You can’t even begin to fathom the amount of work that can go into a two hour show.Â
Essentially, if you want to support a lot of insanely amazing people, go to a production. More people than you realize will appreciate your attendance at even one performance. Personally, I love theatre for that reason. With every production I have seen or been a part of, my appreciation for peoples’ talents and abilities has grown immensely. There’s nothing more amazing than seeing people from all different fields working together to create a production and, eventually, sharing it with a community. So, what are you waiting for? Buy your tickets, plop down in a seat, and prepare to witness the closest thing to magic that you can find.