There is something that’s very peculiar about “Theater People”. Anyone who has spent anytime on a stage, has a certain air about them. We stand out like sore thumbs at times. I say “we” because I am a self-proclaimed “Theater Nerd” I have been in a few productions, and seem to posses this constant urge to make people laugh. It may come off as pompousness, or just wanting to be the center of attention ALL of the time, but what it boils down to is the creating of fearlessness and boldness that comes only when you have been alone under a spotlight. It’s this idea of going outside ones comfort zone, in an attempt get things done. I learned these things while in high school theater and in my time in community theater. I discovered how to be able to push through mistakes (as there have been many on stage, of my doing), take criticism and build from it something new. A set of skills that, in any walk of life, are both empowering and priceless.
The always full of fun, Stephen Colbert once said in an interview after being asked about his theatrical history, said that “There is no status I wouldn’t surrender for a joke.” I try to keep this in mind when I go through day-to-day life. You , cannot live life afraid of looking like a fool, or you will do nothing. Theater has more than anything though, made me okay with being a silly person. In knowing there are other people out there, like me, with a lot of creative energy (perhaps its just ADD and I don’t want to admit it, I don’t know) and are not afraid to dance about on a stage, looking like an idiot, in order to tell a story, to make a difference, makes me confident that humanity will work out it’s bullshit.
(Dramatic ending to that paragraph you say? Would you expect anything less from a theater nerd?)
