I was a theater kid

Back in high school, I was highly involved in the school theater program. Our school did a fall play and a spring musical every year, and I was in all eight of them over my four years. Being a part of a musical was some of the most fun I had in high school (outside of choir tour). Performing has always been fun for me, but I think at that age the thing I enjoyed more was just getting to hang out with my friends so much and make something cool with them.

Most of my roles were comedic ones, and my two lead roles in the musicals* both required me to express physical comedy through my body. As a gangly teen, it was actually a lot of fun to take advantage of the awkwardness of my body in such a way. It really felt like I was doing something only I could do, playing the role in my own specific way.

At the college I went to, it was difficult to be involved in both choir and theater due to the large time commitment they both demanded. I’m ride or die for choir, so unfortunately I had to give up acting for the time being. The only other production I have been involved in since high school was a 24-hour play festival I did in my first year of college. Unfortunately, I ended up getting cast in the very crass role of a septic truck driver named Dick P. Stool, with all the potty humor you might assume that involved. I did have fun nonetheless, but I’ve always kind of dreaded to think that ridiculous role may be my last time on the stage.

Now that I’m older, it would be really fun to be act in another production. Even though I haven’t acted since then, I like to think life experience and artistic growth have made me a better potential actor than I was in high school. It would be a lot of fun to make some new friends, but I’d also like to take the performing side of it more seriously than I did before.

It’s interesting to consider how “theater kid” was probably a large part of my identity throughout high school. I’ve since developed away from thinking that way about myself much, but my experiences in theater no doubt shape who I am today. Theater gave me a particular sort of confidence in my body, as well as an ability to own my sometimes strange sense of humor. I’d love to return to the stage and explore what kind of acting I could do as the person I currently am.

Did you participate in high school theater? Have you done any theater since high school? Do you enjoy acting? Let me know your thoughts at my Ctrl-C email: gome ​@ ​ctrl-c.club.

* Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz and Cosmo in Singin’ in the Rain.