Why I do what I do.
People often ask me why I spend so much of my life making so little money. Really? Have you seen what I do? There is never a dull moment in my life. If I have down time from a production, I’m working on the next production. What else is there in life?
Oh, don’t get me wrong, it can be exhausting, frustrating, infuriating and every other ing word there is. I haven’t actually been interested in acting since college. Woot! Texas Woman’s University (where I learned to carry a platform by myself because, come on, who else was going to do it?)! I learned not only what being a good actor is, but what a good technician is and a good director and a good costumer, you get the idea. But what I learned there does not even compare to what I’ve learned since then. What I’ve learned from other directors, my students, my own children and from every other person who has contributed to my theatre career.
I took off a year after I had my baby. But then, I came back with a vengeance. My then husband and I started a youth theatre in a community center. He directed, I was the costume and makeup person. Our first performance was in the gym of said community center. I brought my stage makeup from college (hey, it was only a year, the makeup wasn’t THAT old!) and clothes from my own closet and that’s how it all started. I left after 20 years of costuming and directing for a program that was now an award winning youth theatre that helped hundreds of at risk kids a year.
The next phase was my educational theatre phase (I’m still in that, by the way).
Here’s the thing most people don’t know. My students, on the whole, do not become theatre professionals. People are always asking, “who are your students who are famous?” Don’t get me wrong, I have a few, both from the youth theatre and the schools, that are in professional theatre and film. Many have gone to great theatre colleges and universities after they left me. But next time you want to know about my students, I’ll probably tell you, “well, there are a couple of lawyers, some doctors, nurses, some researchers, musicians, djs, computer techs, coders, models, pilots, bartenders, social workers, massage therapists, business people, CEOs, writers, poets, activists, teachers, politicians and yes, a couple of actors and theatre techs.
If you look at the jobs listed above, each one benefits from having a theatre kid doing it. They are confident, talented, smart human beings. One of the kids theatres (shout out Village Theatre KidStage)in the area’s motto is “Skills for Theatre, Skills for Life”. True statement.
What a theatre professional in educational theatre is supposed to do is elevate kids. It’s not hard. Spend time with them, tell them what amazing humans they are. Give them a chance to show what they can do. And never…never make them feel less than. It’s not always about the show. It’s about those kids. And if they feel confident and safe, they’ll give you a great show, no matter what. These are just a few of the faces that I’ve been lucky enough to have in my program over the years. Faces that have made me laugh and cry with pride and admiration. I’ve learned so much from them and they’ve learned from me. That’s why I do what I do.
