5 things I Have Learned From Theater
Guest Feature – Emily
#1
You don’t have to be the best, and you have to learn that that’s okay. It is one of the hardest yet most valuable lessons you can learn as a performer. There will almost always be somebody that you view as more talented, more beautiful, more anything. As long as you work hard and focus on your successes instead of your failures, you will be happy and fulfilled.
#2
Theater has, without a doubt, taught me strength on multiple levels. No matter if I am having a bad day or completely exhausted, it’s important to be able to come to the theatre and forget about whatever you’re going through so you can tell the story and transform into your character. It takes an enormous amount of courage to come do a show when you are going through a rough time, and every performer has had to do that. Theater has also taught me strength when it comes to rejection. There will be roles you don’t get, and while it may feel like your world is falling down and crushing you at that moment, you have to stand back up and get over it. Theater is impossible unless you take what you’re given and make the best of it.
“Take your broken heart, make it into art” – Meryl Streep
#3
Theatre has allowed me to become more accepting of people and the situations they go through. When you put yourself in the shoes of someone else and develop your own character’s emotions, it truly is like you are experiencing the troubles and obstacles they are presented with and it can completely change the way you look at real life situations. Actors are some of the most empathetic people in the world, and it makes sense! So a big thank you to theatre: you have helped me learn to understand and help others in ways I couldn’t before.
#4
Accepting and being open to criticism is a skill that is essential in theatre. It is an important thing to understand that different actor’s interpretations of characters and situations are subject to criticism. Some things that people might say when giving feedback are not an attack on your personal character, although it can easily feel like someone is being mean because they are being critical. The only way to improve is to be receptive and learn that not everyone is trying to tear you down, they’re trying to make you better. This lesson has not only benefitted me for theatre, but for life in general. Whether an essay you wrote is being revised or an art piece you’ve created is being critiqued, being open it criticism is an important skill to have that theatre has allowed me to develop.
#5 I’ll leave you with a lesson that everyone can benefit from in one way or another. This message amazes me with just how powerful a simple message can be, and in overwhelming times of trouble, when you need a little reassurance (that is maybe hard to find elsewhere), this message is perfect. It has reminded me that whatever is going on right now may be hard, but better things are always coming. The best part of this message is your freedom to interpret it however you may need it to apply to your life at any moment. It is from my current favorite Broadway show, and hopefully everyone, thespians and not, can learn from it:
“You Will Be Found”
Emily Holland
Emily is our guest feature blogger sharing her insight into the world of theater after years of experience.