I suppose I’ve never really thought of myself as one of those people that knew they were going to act from a very young age. I only discovered it because I was a hopeless copycat of my older sister, who had taken a fancy to theatre. I had been a member of a community choir at a young age, and always sang, but acting was something else entirely.
Once I got on that stage, though… Do you remember that feeling? The rush, the adrenaline, the excitement of holding an audiences breath in your hands, and having them respond to every little motion or inflection? The fun of late night rehearsals, bonding with a group of players, and creating something from nothing? I was hooked. And throughout high school, I relentlessly pursued it with all I had. I started with Fiddler on the Roof, and then transitioned to popular, easy to produce plays like The Curious Savage. I then delved deeper with abstract, avant-garde plays like The Interview, jumped into the large, flashy musical each year- Guys and Dolls, Grease, The King and I- and experienced Shakespeare with Much Ado About Nothing. In college I tried Wilde with The Importance of Being Earnest, and went on to more gritty material with Hot L Baltimore at a city theatre.
You’re replaying your memories of your theatre experiences right now and feeling nostalgic, aren’t you? Even though now we can’t make the time for theatre when there’s paying work like commercials, TV shows, and films to be had, be it ever so humble, the theatre is still our home. Like a warm blanket, we find comfort in the splintery flats, the endless notebook pages filled with written out lines for memorization (and counting to see who has the most!), discovering our characters’ subtext, and the smell of Ben Nye heavy face powder.
When I look back, even though I didn’t truly discover acting until high school, I can see the makings of a performer. The ticketed performances of a Janet Jackson dance show (to which Michael graciously provided his music- my apologies to my parents who had to endure these weekly), the olympic wave and salute before practice gymnastics routines, the far too early obsession with Shakespeare, going class to class in middle school with my “Tell Tale Heart” recitation (amazing the lack of bullying I endured), and singing for the talent show every year in elementary school. I can still remember going to the art room after my performance of “It’s my Party”, throwing back a Dr. Pepper, and feeling on top of the world as the other performers slapped my back and high fived me.
Like it or not, it’s in our blood. It’s who we are. We thrill to the beat of applause. We love to read because we love storytelling and imagining a world. We are creatives. And no amount of bite and smiles to the camera for an awful product can take that away. Fellow creators, I salute you. Perform Proud.
thethriftyactor 