Theatre is something that can be interpreted in many different ways. When most people hear this word, they think of Broadway, or a touring production of a musical. It is so much more than that for me.

Growing up, I was always enamored with the thought of being in the spotlight. Call me a narcissistic if you will, but I mainly liked it because I loved performing. I loved looking throughout an audience and seeing faces change as I tell a story. I loved chasing that feeling and hearing the uproar of laughter fill in an auditorium. I needed that feeling in my world.

When deciding what to go into school for, I wanted to take a ‘realistic’ route that my parents had encouraged me to take, which was to major in journalism. I enjoyed writing, but it wasn’t the same feeling I would get when performing. Although it was a different way for people to see my work, I knew what my true calling was. It wasn’t until the COVID pandemic that I had that epiphany for myself; it was hard to switch majors, especially after completing two years of college in my initial major. I knew what I was destined for and that was to be an actor.

After switching my major, I gained the knowledge of what it takes to be a great actor in the professional world to pursue my dream career. I realized that you didn’t have to be in Hollywood or in New York to be successful. Something that I think is looked upon with theatre is our regional theatres in the area. When people go and see these shows, it allows a community to be born and brought together. These stories shared on small and large stages each have a purpose of their own, but they all have a common factor: it’s for the pleasure of the community.

World Theatre Day allows us to recognize as a community what theatre has done for us and our daily lives. We looked upon theatres and different forms of theatre representation in our darkest times of the pandemic, and when those shut down,everyone worldwide was devastated because a part of our community was closed. There was no way for us to see our children do a play that we watched growing up, or to spend a day with the family at the movies. I encourage everyone on this day to come back to the roots of theatre, put down our phones, and indulge in a show. Indulge in the community and let the world invite you to share and hear more stories through theatre.