How Being Involved In Theatre Can Change Your Life

I've been involved in theatre for the past six years; I joined theatre when I was a freshman in high school.

For my entire life, I felt like I was destined to be in theatre and express my identity on the stage.

Although I originally joined theatre for a fun passionate hobby, I've learned so much about myself and matured as a person over these last few years.

Because of my life-changing experience in theatre, I wanted to share a few reasons why you should consider joining a theatre production or taking a theatre/acting class in the future.

You may learn some useful skills to utilize in everyday life or unlock a part of your identity you didn't know before.

What are the benefits of participating in theatre?

While performing in a musical or play can be fun for itself, there are many benefits from participating in theatre productions:

You gain more self-confidence.

When you perform a show, you're doing it in front of a large audience! That can be both thrilling and terrifying. Typically, you rehearse for eight weeks before opening night, which gives you plenty of time to learn your lines, music, choreography, blocking, etc.

As you become more comfortable in your role, you grow more confident in yourself. This self-confidence will become so strong, it'll be with off the stage as well as when you perform on opening night!

You can express yourself and your creative imagination.

This is one of my favorite aspects of theatre. I have a lot of creativity stored up in my mind and I appreciate that the stage is the perfect place for me to release the creative energy.

When you have a role in a musical or play, you get to explore how you want to interact and think like that character. You can put your imaginative twist on the character and make it unique. Theatre is all about expression after all!

You meet so many interesting and talented people, forming new bonds of friendships!

I'm not kidding when I tell you that 95% of my friends in university are all theatre kids. They are all extremely talented and have such intriguing and different life stories to share.

My friends and I share more common interests than just being involved in theatre together. You'll be surprised at all the types of people that join theatre productions and make it all more special. Everyone in theatre becomes a big, silly family where everyone accepts and loves you for who you are.

What life skills can we learn from theatre?

Although you can learn much about yourself as you participate in theatre, you can also learn there helpful life skills that could better your life at work or school:

Public Speaking

Theatre is probably the best place to enhance your public speaking and communication abilities. I remember when I first joined the theatre company in university, I was unbelievably shy and quiet.

After acting in a few shows, I felt more comfortable and confident speaking in front of a group. If you can perform in front of an audience of a few hundred people, you can give that maid of honor speech at a wedding or give that presentation to your boss at work.

Cooperation/Teamwork

Not only are all the people involved in theatre one big happy family, but they are also a team.

Everyone has tasks they must complete to conduct a great show every night. Tech and crew members are in charge of lighting, audio, special effects, set design, moving set pieces, and more.

Actors are responsible for memorizing their lines, blocking, choreography, and more. The director and stage manager must oversee everything, ensure everyone is doing what is expected of them and they are a big part of what the whole show looks like.

We all help each other out in the theatre to create the best experience for the audience possible. We work together as a team.

Memory

If you're in a musical or play, you will need to memorize many things. Because you're consistently running through your lines, lighting cues, blocking, etc., you're exercising your brain. Repetition is helpful when it comes to enhancing your brain's memory.

As you rehearse, your brain starts to recognize patterns in the tasks you're working on and it remembers them better. These rehearsing patterns become muscle memory, almost a subconscious instinct.

When it comes to anything else, I have a horrible memory; I forget important information constantly. However, I still remember songs and choreography that I performed in theatre productions years ago. It's incredible how the brain functions.

Why should everyone take a theatre or acting class?

If performing live on stage isn't a comfortable experience for you, there are plenty of acting classes available (online and in-person) for you to take. 

For anyone who's looking for employment, it is vital to develop good communication skills. That can be a difficult expectation to meet in the workforce. Fortunately, an acting class offers beneficial communication exercises through improvisation games and various techniques.

As per the research study done by Dr. Venustiano Borromeo, acting classes proved to have positive effects on undergraduate college students' communication abilities.

The study followed eight students taking beginning acting classes. Over time, researchers observed that the students improved their communication skills after taking these classes. These classes also helped the students as they found jobs after graduation.

Acting classes aren't just beneficial for college students, but for anyone looking to increase their communication abilities. There are acting classes for groups of every age.     

The Beauty of Theatre

Theatre is an art. It helps us understand the world, each other, and ourselves. This unique form of art can spark a passion in us, make us want to know more. You can develop all kinds of skills that will aid you for the rest of your life, whether it be a life, social, or technical skill. All you have to do is try it out for yourself.