Me and my friends after the opening night of “Game Of Tiaras” The Xavierite
These days, the theater is considered a dead medium, and while I don’t have much interest in joining the world of drama, I think that the artform unites people and brings joy in many unique ways.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “John, you’re the vice president of SXU Drama! Not only did you have three parts in the Spring play, you wrote and directed the Fall play!”
And while that is true, I’m being honest when I tell you that I am not a theater person. I’m not an actor, I don’t sing, I don’t dance, but all the same, I love participating in the performing arts.
I always tell people I was conned into joining drama club.
Last fall, while I was at work, the former vice president of the club asked me if I was interested in auditioning for the Halloween show. As the only person auditioning for my part I was cast, even though my audition readings were terrible.
I spent the next few weeks terrified. I had fun, however, cultivating my voice and practicing my comedic timing, but still I couldn’t shake the idea that I didn’t belong in a theatrical space.
I went on stage though, and I had the time of my life. It was so much fun that I stuck around for the spring show, which is when it finally clicked for me why all this mattered in the first place. You don’t do it for the people in front of you, you do it for the people around you.
This semester I wrote and directed a play called “The Slayers Sect” with no knowledge of how to format a script, how to direct, or any of the practices of theater. But it isn’t about stage direction and formatting, it never was for me. It’s about the community.
Each rehearsal we slowly grew closer, so that when it came showtime, we had jokes and insults flying every second. When the semester began, the rest of the executive board wasn’t even confident that we’d be able to produce the script I had written. Though, what began as three people with a bit of hope has become a group of nineteen eager to do it all over again.
And it all happened because this summer, I decided to bring my dreams to fruition with the kind of unwavering confidence that defines a success story.
That’s ultimately the point of dramatic theater: making the best of the things that are fleeting. There are no do overs on-stage, as in real life. So you rehearse over and over to make it perfect, but by opening night, what matters most isn’t precision. It just matters that it’s yours.
I’m lucky to have such an incredible cast acting out the characters I’ve come to love.
They’re all incredibly talented people, and for as long as they come together to act with each other, I’ll be willing to write scripts that will bind us to one another.
When it comes to collaboration I’m absolutely a control freak, but I find that I have no problem surrendering control to them.
Because over time, all their decisions feed into our shared vision, and as we all contribute to the soul of this script, a community forms. Every rehearsal is like an experiment, and every week we get a little closer to having a final product. The proof of our unique bond and the time we spend getting to know each other.
Theater is just like the radio, paper mail, and Dolly Parton. They’re all timeless antiquities that the modern world has a soft spot for. It can be cheesy, strange, and stressful. But for me, the fruit it bears is sweeter with every bite.
So the next time the opportunity presents itself, open your mind to the dramatic experience. Whether it be buying a ticket or answering a casting call, you might get more out of it than you expect.