Last week I finished up the last of my rehearsals for the Schuster Theater’s production of White Snake. This whole experience of being involved in the theater has been one that I have both enjoyed and stressed over, but this was a good stress that was rewarding in the end.
Throughout the entire process of the production for White Snake I was challenged with venturing outside of my comfort zone. I always wanted to get involved with the theater program, however I never was able to find the confidence to go out and try acting in a high school performance setting.I tried auditioning for a play in high school once, but I failed and didn’t get a part. Ever since that day i lost my desire to try theater and the courage to go out of my comfort zone and try out new things went away.
Now that I am in a new social environment here at school, I have challenged myself with the task to try new things in an attempt to reignite my desire to be more adventurous. I did this a couple months ago through auditioning for the play. When I arrived at the audition I was really nervous. I dint know why I was so nervous. I had already conquered my fear of public speaking through my stand-up comedy, so I didn’t know why I was so scared to perform in this atmosphere. Once I finished my audition, I wasn’t too sure that I would get a role in the production; however I was happy to find out that I had earned a spot in the play. It wasn’t a large role, but it was something I was proud of. I had left my comfort zone and had found that spark of interest in trying new things again.
Through the next five weeks I was challenged with hard work and dedication that would result in the production of a show. After the rehearsal period ended, I was nervous about the performance. I was nervous about remembering my scene changes and my lines. Even though I was nervous about the show, I eventually started to feel more comfortable in this new atmosphere with my new friends. These people in the theater program really helped me in this transitional period.
The theater community taught me that I didn’t have to worry about what others think. Another lesson I learned through my time in the theater program was to relax. My new friends in the theater taught me that life is too short to get stressed out about everything that you can’t control. Sometimes you just have to “go with the flow,” especially when stuff on stage goes wrong and you have to improvise to save the scene.
Through the many hours of rehearsing and practicing my lines in the production I learned that not everything in life will be easy. Many of the most amazing things in life are the result of many hours of commitment and hard work. While the process might at times seem unbearable, the result and reward will be worth it as long as you stick it out and never give up.
When opening night arrived, I was both nervous and excited, but when the lights came on the nerves went away. I figured out that I had nothing to worry about. Through theater and stand-up I figured out that there was no need for me to feel nervous around other people in different social environments. As long as I stay true to myself, I don’t have to worry about what other people think and I would find out who my real friends were. Through being myself, I was also able to meet some of my newest best friends in the theater program here on campus.
