"Theatre makes a difference: What's your story?"
Video Response Campaign
In the summer of 2012, we posted on youtube asking for people to share their stories about how participation in theatre has affected their lives. Check out a handful of our responses on this page, or visit our youtube channel (just click the button below) to see the videos we received.
Robert
Chicagoland, IL
I grew up in a south suburb of Chicago. I am the 7th of 9 children. We all played musical instruments and most of my siblings were involved in school drama clubs or theatre. While in 6th grade I was hanging around with some kids that could have very easily led me to a path of drugs and self destruction. My best friend at that time is now serving a life sentence for murder. My older sister taught CCD and a fellow teacher drove her home one day. My sister introduced me to her and the woman told me she was going to be directing a play at my grade school. She said she needed more boys to be interested in it and asked if I would try out for a part in the play. The play was 'Around the World in 80 Days". I got the part I tried out for (Passepartout) and then she asked me to join her home group, "The Pitt Players". I met the love of my life in the Pitt Players. We married after high school and just celebrated our 34th anniversary. We have three of the best adult children in the world and four wonderful grandchildren. I was in the drama group until I went into the Army after graduating from high school. Once I got to my permanent duty station in Arizona as a dental assistant I joined a local theater group and was active in it until I got out of the service. I also helped create and performed in dental health awareness programs that we taught ingrade schools on and off base. After a few years of odd jobs I was hired on the police department where I had a very successful 30 year career. Part of that career was going into schools and teaching child safety such as "Stranger Danger" awareness, etc, speaking in front of from 15 to 500 people, and as an Investigator. There is no doubt in my mind that the skills I learned and honed as a young thespian contributed immensely to the success of that career and my whole life.
So, is Educational Theater worth funding? ABSOLUTELY!! Anything that supports a child in turning their life around, changing the life path in a positive manner, teaching them skills to be successful in any career is certainly worth the time and the funding.
Good luck in your endeavor and thanks for giving me a chance to tell my story.
Chicagoland, IL
I grew up in a south suburb of Chicago. I am the 7th of 9 children. We all played musical instruments and most of my siblings were involved in school drama clubs or theatre. While in 6th grade I was hanging around with some kids that could have very easily led me to a path of drugs and self destruction. My best friend at that time is now serving a life sentence for murder. My older sister taught CCD and a fellow teacher drove her home one day. My sister introduced me to her and the woman told me she was going to be directing a play at my grade school. She said she needed more boys to be interested in it and asked if I would try out for a part in the play. The play was 'Around the World in 80 Days". I got the part I tried out for (Passepartout) and then she asked me to join her home group, "The Pitt Players". I met the love of my life in the Pitt Players. We married after high school and just celebrated our 34th anniversary. We have three of the best adult children in the world and four wonderful grandchildren. I was in the drama group until I went into the Army after graduating from high school. Once I got to my permanent duty station in Arizona as a dental assistant I joined a local theater group and was active in it until I got out of the service. I also helped create and performed in dental health awareness programs that we taught ingrade schools on and off base. After a few years of odd jobs I was hired on the police department where I had a very successful 30 year career. Part of that career was going into schools and teaching child safety such as "Stranger Danger" awareness, etc, speaking in front of from 15 to 500 people, and as an Investigator. There is no doubt in my mind that the skills I learned and honed as a young thespian contributed immensely to the success of that career and my whole life.
So, is Educational Theater worth funding? ABSOLUTELY!! Anything that supports a child in turning their life around, changing the life path in a positive manner, teaching them skills to be successful in any career is certainly worth the time and the funding.
Good luck in your endeavor and thanks for giving me a chance to tell my story.
Anna
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Marilyn
Phoenix, AZ
My name is Marilyn. I am a 29 year old theatre teacher in AZ. Obviously I wouldn't have become a theatre teacher if theatre didn't impact my life. And of course I am pro-arts funding. This is my story...
I was a very shy kid. Very insecure with myself. Very few friends. In the 9th grade a friend of mine convinced me to go the drama club with her. I went to pretty much every meeting that year, but didn't audition for anything. I was way to shy, way to scared. But I was a part of the drama club that entire year. I forever will remember at our drama club banquet everyone got a "fun" award... Our drama club president that year gave me "Most Likely to be a Motivational Speaker" as she whispered in my ear "we want you to talk next year." Well at the same time my mother relapsed with cancer. She passed away half way through my sophomore year when I was only 15. Right before she died I got enough guts to audition for our HS production of Romeo and Juliet. My mother was too sick to go, so my drama teacher allowed us to video tape the small part I was in (I was the servant, I had 9 lines ;) ) . That was the only show my mother ever saw me in. But after that I kept auditioning, kept participating. Theatre became the place where I had support, where I could cope. A place where I found my voice, found myself. By senior year, I was part of the drama officer board, did all the theatre competitions, went on the trips, and did all the shows. I got very active in not only theatre, but my school. I even got recognized in the graduation speech for my contributions. I honestly can't imagine who I'd be today if I didn't have theatre in my life as a HS student. I even meet my husband through one of my HS theatre friends. It changed my life. So much that I became a teacher myself. And I see the same light, passion, and sense of self come to my students as it did to me.
Phoenix, AZ
My name is Marilyn. I am a 29 year old theatre teacher in AZ. Obviously I wouldn't have become a theatre teacher if theatre didn't impact my life. And of course I am pro-arts funding. This is my story...
I was a very shy kid. Very insecure with myself. Very few friends. In the 9th grade a friend of mine convinced me to go the drama club with her. I went to pretty much every meeting that year, but didn't audition for anything. I was way to shy, way to scared. But I was a part of the drama club that entire year. I forever will remember at our drama club banquet everyone got a "fun" award... Our drama club president that year gave me "Most Likely to be a Motivational Speaker" as she whispered in my ear "we want you to talk next year." Well at the same time my mother relapsed with cancer. She passed away half way through my sophomore year when I was only 15. Right before she died I got enough guts to audition for our HS production of Romeo and Juliet. My mother was too sick to go, so my drama teacher allowed us to video tape the small part I was in (I was the servant, I had 9 lines ;) ) . That was the only show my mother ever saw me in. But after that I kept auditioning, kept participating. Theatre became the place where I had support, where I could cope. A place where I found my voice, found myself. By senior year, I was part of the drama officer board, did all the theatre competitions, went on the trips, and did all the shows. I got very active in not only theatre, but my school. I even got recognized in the graduation speech for my contributions. I honestly can't imagine who I'd be today if I didn't have theatre in my life as a HS student. I even meet my husband through one of my HS theatre friends. It changed my life. So much that I became a teacher myself. And I see the same light, passion, and sense of self come to my students as it did to me.
Carrie
Two of my four children have been involved in theatre. I wish they all had wanted to. It gave them teamwork and camaraderie, enhanced their speaking skills and self-confidence. They learned to try again when/if they did not get a part. It enhanced memorization skills, helped them see things from other perspectives by trying out other perspectives, was a safe way to try identity and observe other identities, made them more interested in a greater variety of literature, and they had fun.
My youngest, now a high school sophomore, and thespian, says it is "her life", she has been to a couple of music theatre camps where everyone wrote, got a part, learned about producing, and she's also done a lot of work building sets. She learned how to paint, use a saw and a hammer, learned about choreography, all - ALL skills she can use in any employment in her future, her daily living, and a life long pursuit of quality entertainment.
I would add, last year her high school did "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". It started a lot of great discussions all through the rehearsals and performances about sexual harassment in the workplace - such a great topic - the dress, the ceiling, how women's employment opportunities have changed and not . . . It was great for the guys to think about, too, and so interesting to hear them (male and female) discuss it with each other in the car after rehearsals. I think they were all shocked at first when reading the script and also the lyrics. Their friends came to watch them perform, who would not have gone to a play otherwise. So a play's topic can be just as educational as being in theatre, too!
Two of my four children have been involved in theatre. I wish they all had wanted to. It gave them teamwork and camaraderie, enhanced their speaking skills and self-confidence. They learned to try again when/if they did not get a part. It enhanced memorization skills, helped them see things from other perspectives by trying out other perspectives, was a safe way to try identity and observe other identities, made them more interested in a greater variety of literature, and they had fun.
My youngest, now a high school sophomore, and thespian, says it is "her life", she has been to a couple of music theatre camps where everyone wrote, got a part, learned about producing, and she's also done a lot of work building sets. She learned how to paint, use a saw and a hammer, learned about choreography, all - ALL skills she can use in any employment in her future, her daily living, and a life long pursuit of quality entertainment.
I would add, last year her high school did "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". It started a lot of great discussions all through the rehearsals and performances about sexual harassment in the workplace - such a great topic - the dress, the ceiling, how women's employment opportunities have changed and not . . . It was great for the guys to think about, too, and so interesting to hear them (male and female) discuss it with each other in the car after rehearsals. I think they were all shocked at first when reading the script and also the lyrics. Their friends came to watch them perform, who would not have gone to a play otherwise. So a play's topic can be just as educational as being in theatre, too!
Leopold
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Leona
Georgia
Theatre has taught my child about setting goals, and how to make a plan to get to those goals. One of the most important things she has taken from theater is a sense of self, a sense of "It's okay to be who you are". Theater people are some of the most accepting people I have ever met, and for children/teens acceptance is very important!
Georgia
Theatre has taught my child about setting goals, and how to make a plan to get to those goals. One of the most important things she has taken from theater is a sense of self, a sense of "It's okay to be who you are". Theater people are some of the most accepting people I have ever met, and for children/teens acceptance is very important!
Brittany
Sheboygan, WI
"Ever since I was a kid I have always wanted to be a performer. There was something about dressing up and being someone else and telling someone else's story that captivated me. I would run around the house in dress up clothes, singing and dancing, performing to my parents or anyone who watched and show them the play or dance I created. Then when I landed the role of Snow White in the class play Snow White in 4th grade, I really got into theatre. Then I joined Lakeshore Productions in Random Lake and I fell in love with musicals. I always loved singing so what a perfect opportunity to sing and act at the same time. I also did some Sheboygan Theatre Company shows and also shows at my highschool. I knew I wanted this to be my career and it really became real for me when I got accepted in UW-Parkside's Theatre Program. I could become a professional actress. I was in awe when I had the opportunity to see professional theatre productions in Chicago or American Players Theatre in Spring Green and in Milwaukee. I still love going to those theatres and seeing professional productions and learning from those productions. Parkside showed me theatre in a whole different perspective and my life is now living and breathing theatre. I would not be as strong as I am today without it. Theatre has helped me grow as a person and has inspired my whole being. I have grown so close to people because of theatre and learned so much from my director's, professors, classmates, and other actors. I look to the future because of theatre. I am a graduate of UW- Parkside with a theatre degree and proud of it. I am now prepared to make theatre my career and my meaning to life. I love Shakespeare to Mamet to Chekov to Churchill to Pinter and Rogers and Hammerstein's, you name it. I love delving into all different kinds of theatre and excited to see what the future holds. I am who I am today because of theatre. Thank you!
Sheboygan, WI
"Ever since I was a kid I have always wanted to be a performer. There was something about dressing up and being someone else and telling someone else's story that captivated me. I would run around the house in dress up clothes, singing and dancing, performing to my parents or anyone who watched and show them the play or dance I created. Then when I landed the role of Snow White in the class play Snow White in 4th grade, I really got into theatre. Then I joined Lakeshore Productions in Random Lake and I fell in love with musicals. I always loved singing so what a perfect opportunity to sing and act at the same time. I also did some Sheboygan Theatre Company shows and also shows at my highschool. I knew I wanted this to be my career and it really became real for me when I got accepted in UW-Parkside's Theatre Program. I could become a professional actress. I was in awe when I had the opportunity to see professional theatre productions in Chicago or American Players Theatre in Spring Green and in Milwaukee. I still love going to those theatres and seeing professional productions and learning from those productions. Parkside showed me theatre in a whole different perspective and my life is now living and breathing theatre. I would not be as strong as I am today without it. Theatre has helped me grow as a person and has inspired my whole being. I have grown so close to people because of theatre and learned so much from my director's, professors, classmates, and other actors. I look to the future because of theatre. I am a graduate of UW- Parkside with a theatre degree and proud of it. I am now prepared to make theatre my career and my meaning to life. I love Shakespeare to Mamet to Chekov to Churchill to Pinter and Rogers and Hammerstein's, you name it. I love delving into all different kinds of theatre and excited to see what the future holds. I am who I am today because of theatre. Thank you!
Shqipron
Sheboygan, WI
Sheboygan, WI
Eliza
Wisconsin
As a child I was very, very shy. I hardly spoke to anyone and had a difficult time making friends. I had no confidence whatsoever. Then, when I was in the sixth grade my mother saw an advertisement for actors for the local community college’s community theater production of Bye Bye Birdie. Reluctantly I tried out at her urging. I got in and they actually gave me two small parts, as everyone pretty much had to double up, but that meant I had to study two parts! And in order to participate I had to keep my grades up. I was a good student but I wasn’t an outstanding student. As a result of the requirement, my grades actually went up, I got where, even though I was a more than decent reader, I loved to read and became a better reader. I even had a music teacher who, realizing I was absolutely hopeless to write a piano score, let me write a play instead for a semester project. I got a B!
That first play was a blast (as were the others that followed). I made friends, I started talking (haven’t stopped much since actually!). and I went on to do several more plays. As my confidence grew I ventured into other areas. I was in 4-H and was no longer afraid to go on stage to perform for their talent shows or to model my sewing projects, and even went to state twice and was president two years running. Because my grades improved and I was able to keep them up in order to participate in theater, I ended up in BETA Club and was able to direct a play in drama class at school. I have been a radio announcer (try messing that up- it’s live just like theater!) I relate to people better and now I am a freelance writer. I don’t think I would have ever had the confidence to do any of that if I had not been in community theater. Not everyone is able to do team sports (like me) but theater, even though it is work – the dancing alone will work off pounds- most everyone can do it. It stretches your mind since you have to read with inflection (unlike monotone where every word read sounds like a list rather than speaking naturally) and you have to learn to memorize and multitask (keeping up with what’s going on in the play and where you are supposed to be at any given time while remembering your lines or singing while remembering dance steps is multitasking) and that is a really good skill in the workforce.
Having a community theater or drama in schools is so important, certainly as important, I think, as sports.
Wisconsin
As a child I was very, very shy. I hardly spoke to anyone and had a difficult time making friends. I had no confidence whatsoever. Then, when I was in the sixth grade my mother saw an advertisement for actors for the local community college’s community theater production of Bye Bye Birdie. Reluctantly I tried out at her urging. I got in and they actually gave me two small parts, as everyone pretty much had to double up, but that meant I had to study two parts! And in order to participate I had to keep my grades up. I was a good student but I wasn’t an outstanding student. As a result of the requirement, my grades actually went up, I got where, even though I was a more than decent reader, I loved to read and became a better reader. I even had a music teacher who, realizing I was absolutely hopeless to write a piano score, let me write a play instead for a semester project. I got a B!
That first play was a blast (as were the others that followed). I made friends, I started talking (haven’t stopped much since actually!). and I went on to do several more plays. As my confidence grew I ventured into other areas. I was in 4-H and was no longer afraid to go on stage to perform for their talent shows or to model my sewing projects, and even went to state twice and was president two years running. Because my grades improved and I was able to keep them up in order to participate in theater, I ended up in BETA Club and was able to direct a play in drama class at school. I have been a radio announcer (try messing that up- it’s live just like theater!) I relate to people better and now I am a freelance writer. I don’t think I would have ever had the confidence to do any of that if I had not been in community theater. Not everyone is able to do team sports (like me) but theater, even though it is work – the dancing alone will work off pounds- most everyone can do it. It stretches your mind since you have to read with inflection (unlike monotone where every word read sounds like a list rather than speaking naturally) and you have to learn to memorize and multitask (keeping up with what’s going on in the play and where you are supposed to be at any given time while remembering your lines or singing while remembering dance steps is multitasking) and that is a really good skill in the workforce.
Having a community theater or drama in schools is so important, certainly as important, I think, as sports.
Tiffany
Lexington, KY
"I didn't know that the theatre world existed until I was in middle school. I saw a high school production of Oklahoma! and I was hooked. I spent four years in high school working with my drama department and when it came time to graduate theatre was the only thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Last year I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a degree in Theatre Arts. I am a confident, charismatic leader, who can think on her feet because of the skills I gained training to become a theatre professional. Two weeks after graduation I packed up everything I owned and moved to Lexington, Kentucky to work with the Lexington Children's Theatre as a stage manager. Here I have discovered the world of Theatre for Young Audiences, and I work with amazing youth every day. These students are talented beyond my imagination, they are creative problem solvers with quick wits and big hearts. I see how the gift of theatre changes people every day, and I am happier now than I ever thought I could be. The night that I sat in a high school auditorium watching a cowboy fall in love changed my life forever, and I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world.
Thank you for sharing my story.
Lexington, KY
"I didn't know that the theatre world existed until I was in middle school. I saw a high school production of Oklahoma! and I was hooked. I spent four years in high school working with my drama department and when it came time to graduate theatre was the only thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Last year I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a degree in Theatre Arts. I am a confident, charismatic leader, who can think on her feet because of the skills I gained training to become a theatre professional. Two weeks after graduation I packed up everything I owned and moved to Lexington, Kentucky to work with the Lexington Children's Theatre as a stage manager. Here I have discovered the world of Theatre for Young Audiences, and I work with amazing youth every day. These students are talented beyond my imagination, they are creative problem solvers with quick wits and big hearts. I see how the gift of theatre changes people every day, and I am happier now than I ever thought I could be. The night that I sat in a high school auditorium watching a cowboy fall in love changed my life forever, and I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world.
Thank you for sharing my story.
Sarah
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Kari
North Carolina
I was a drama techie in high school, but for my senior year in 1984, I decided I would audition for the musical, The Sound of Music. I stood on stage in front of my drama teacher, my dear and most trusted friends (who were all in theatre) as well as various other high school students who were also auditioning. I belted out "The Hills are Alive" a capella. I was given a part in the choir of nuns which I declined in order to do lighting. High school theatre gave me the confidence to trust that I could do my best, fall flat, and not only still be loved by my theatre-mates, but be fearless to try new things.
My teenaged daughter is involved in theatre at her high school, and was also in middle school. The kids she is with are grounded and self-assured. My daughter has shed some of her shyness and shines, singing tunes from musicals while she wanders around the house. Theatre has given she and I a common ground that is often hard to come by during those teenage years.
Funding educational theatre is important as well as all the arts. At a time when creative thinking and problem-solving are given a back burner to test-taking skills, the arts provide a place where creativity can flourish.
North Carolina
I was a drama techie in high school, but for my senior year in 1984, I decided I would audition for the musical, The Sound of Music. I stood on stage in front of my drama teacher, my dear and most trusted friends (who were all in theatre) as well as various other high school students who were also auditioning. I belted out "The Hills are Alive" a capella. I was given a part in the choir of nuns which I declined in order to do lighting. High school theatre gave me the confidence to trust that I could do my best, fall flat, and not only still be loved by my theatre-mates, but be fearless to try new things.
My teenaged daughter is involved in theatre at her high school, and was also in middle school. The kids she is with are grounded and self-assured. My daughter has shed some of her shyness and shines, singing tunes from musicals while she wanders around the house. Theatre has given she and I a common ground that is often hard to come by during those teenage years.
Funding educational theatre is important as well as all the arts. At a time when creative thinking and problem-solving are given a back burner to test-taking skills, the arts provide a place where creativity can flourish.
Rachel
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Felicia
Hudson, WI
My first real theatrical experience came about in middle school. Having recently moved across the U.S., my confidence in making friends and impressing anyone with my "skills" was at an all time low - not that being a middle-schooler ever feels very different from being a baby giraffe. We put on a tiny musical called "45-minutes from Broadway", in which I played the romantic lead; within a week of our performances, I had met more people and made more friends than any other time in my entire school-career. That one theatrical experience shaped me into what I am today. Even though I continue to be a soft-spoken person, who takes a long time to warm-up and show people what I can do, I KNOW what I am capable of. Theater taught me to actualize and hone my skills in order to let them shine. Theater gave me the confidence to grow into my own person, and I can't think of an individual who doesn't need that opportunity.
Hudson, WI
My first real theatrical experience came about in middle school. Having recently moved across the U.S., my confidence in making friends and impressing anyone with my "skills" was at an all time low - not that being a middle-schooler ever feels very different from being a baby giraffe. We put on a tiny musical called "45-minutes from Broadway", in which I played the romantic lead; within a week of our performances, I had met more people and made more friends than any other time in my entire school-career. That one theatrical experience shaped me into what I am today. Even though I continue to be a soft-spoken person, who takes a long time to warm-up and show people what I can do, I KNOW what I am capable of. Theater taught me to actualize and hone my skills in order to let them shine. Theater gave me the confidence to grow into my own person, and I can't think of an individual who doesn't need that opportunity.
Lynn
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta, GA
Jeff
Ohio
When you watch a TV show like Grease: You're The One That I Want, you can see how influential community theater can be in a young person's life. Some of these hopeful young Dannys and Sandys got hooked when they saw their first Broadway show as children. Others grew up far from the Great White Way, but the theater bug managed to bite them just as hard.I was almost one of these diehard theater people. When I was growing up, I saw my first play in sixth grade. It was a high school production ofOliver! I thought it was very cool, and I liked theater even more when my brother made his first stage appearance in Carousel.
Although I loved to play baseball, I knew I wanted to be in the theater as well. So when I saw an audition notice for a local theater at the age of 10, I went for it. The play was Oliver!, which was great because I knew the songs and the cast called for a bunch of youngsters to play British orphans.
My mom went to the library and got a record of the Broadway score, and we went over the songs. I learned "Consider Yourself" and "Food Glorious Food," and I was all set for the audition. I sang my heart out, and I got a part in the chorus!
Woohoo! It was one of the coolest things to happen to me in my young life. I looked forward to starting rehearsals after our family's vacation to Montreal.
When we returned, I got the bad news. The producers had decided to start rehearsals early, so they started without me. Even worse, they thought I would be too far behind to catch up. Rather than giving me a chance, they just dropped me from the production.
I was deflated. I never really got that excited about theater in the future. When I was a freshman in high school, I played baseball and did the paper route instead of going for a spot in Bye Bye Birdie. When my youth baseball days were over, I did appear in high school productions of South Pacific, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story.
I had fun but I never seriously considered going into the theater. This is notable because the theater is a huge part of my siblings' lives. My brother is an actor in several community theaters in Pittsburgh, while my sister is an award-winning playwright (and professor of play writing) in Denver.
So if I hadn't gotten bounced by a shortsighted director when I was 10, my life could be completely different today. I could have gone into the theater instead of sportswriting and broadcasting. I could have had a totally different life.
Ohio
When you watch a TV show like Grease: You're The One That I Want, you can see how influential community theater can be in a young person's life. Some of these hopeful young Dannys and Sandys got hooked when they saw their first Broadway show as children. Others grew up far from the Great White Way, but the theater bug managed to bite them just as hard.I was almost one of these diehard theater people. When I was growing up, I saw my first play in sixth grade. It was a high school production ofOliver! I thought it was very cool, and I liked theater even more when my brother made his first stage appearance in Carousel.
Although I loved to play baseball, I knew I wanted to be in the theater as well. So when I saw an audition notice for a local theater at the age of 10, I went for it. The play was Oliver!, which was great because I knew the songs and the cast called for a bunch of youngsters to play British orphans.
My mom went to the library and got a record of the Broadway score, and we went over the songs. I learned "Consider Yourself" and "Food Glorious Food," and I was all set for the audition. I sang my heart out, and I got a part in the chorus!
Woohoo! It was one of the coolest things to happen to me in my young life. I looked forward to starting rehearsals after our family's vacation to Montreal.
When we returned, I got the bad news. The producers had decided to start rehearsals early, so they started without me. Even worse, they thought I would be too far behind to catch up. Rather than giving me a chance, they just dropped me from the production.
I was deflated. I never really got that excited about theater in the future. When I was a freshman in high school, I played baseball and did the paper route instead of going for a spot in Bye Bye Birdie. When my youth baseball days were over, I did appear in high school productions of South Pacific, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story.
I had fun but I never seriously considered going into the theater. This is notable because the theater is a huge part of my siblings' lives. My brother is an actor in several community theaters in Pittsburgh, while my sister is an award-winning playwright (and professor of play writing) in Denver.
So if I hadn't gotten bounced by a shortsighted director when I was 10, my life could be completely different today. I could have gone into the theater instead of sportswriting and broadcasting. I could have had a totally different life.
Hosea
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL
Jake
Chicago, IL
My name is Jake Dewar. I am an actor and comedian in the Chicago area, and would like to share the story of how getting involved in theater shaped who I am today.
To preface this story, I should explain that when I was in grade school, I was always the social misfit. Being shy and quiet (with occasional exceptions), I was bullied by some of my classmates and often sat at the lunch table by myself. I struggled with studying on some subjects, continuously distracted by my imagination. One teacher inappropriately asked me once if I had considered taking some kind of medication.
Then, when I was in 7th grade, I saw a group of students doing some short scenes for a Halloween based assembly. People were fumbling their lines, but they looked like they were having fun and I thought to myself, "I'd like to do that." So I joined the drama club at my middle school.
I had found my niche. The world of the theater was where I felt I belonged. The positive, collaborative mindset behind it helped me grow as a performer and as a person, and I continued to pursue acting throughout high school and college, graduating with a B.A. in Theater.
So do I think educational theater is worth funding? Absolutely, yes. Even if acting is not something you would want to pursue as a career, the experience of working with a group to create something and share it with other people is something very precious, and perhaps more impactful than people may realize.
Thank you for letting me share my story with you, and all my best.
Chicago, IL
My name is Jake Dewar. I am an actor and comedian in the Chicago area, and would like to share the story of how getting involved in theater shaped who I am today.
To preface this story, I should explain that when I was in grade school, I was always the social misfit. Being shy and quiet (with occasional exceptions), I was bullied by some of my classmates and often sat at the lunch table by myself. I struggled with studying on some subjects, continuously distracted by my imagination. One teacher inappropriately asked me once if I had considered taking some kind of medication.
Then, when I was in 7th grade, I saw a group of students doing some short scenes for a Halloween based assembly. People were fumbling their lines, but they looked like they were having fun and I thought to myself, "I'd like to do that." So I joined the drama club at my middle school.
I had found my niche. The world of the theater was where I felt I belonged. The positive, collaborative mindset behind it helped me grow as a performer and as a person, and I continued to pursue acting throughout high school and college, graduating with a B.A. in Theater.
So do I think educational theater is worth funding? Absolutely, yes. Even if acting is not something you would want to pursue as a career, the experience of working with a group to create something and share it with other people is something very precious, and perhaps more impactful than people may realize.
Thank you for letting me share my story with you, and all my best.