Student Blog: Doing theater as a senior student

For the last few years, I've been learning a lot about theater in general and falling in love with plays and musicals that I didn't know existed. Then the pandemic arrived to change everything and when I started going to more shows in my city, I had to stop. That's when I began looking for content online to keep this new interest near me, so I found lots of documentaries, series, movies, books and podcasts

Following websites and accounts on social media that were specialized in theater was something great. For mental health I avoided watching the news, but the ones about the theater community made me happy during those hard times.

Then I started getting involved in activities, like writing here as a student blogger, talking about theater in a radio program at school, writing about musicals, etc. And it was until this summer, when I could finally return to my campus, that I decided I had to take a chance and join the production company; otherwise I would regret wasting that time on my last year.

Since the first day, I was so excited and nervous because I didn't know anything technical about theater if I'm being honest. What I'm enjoying the most about this workshop, is that we learn theory first about roles in a theater production, how a play is made, what exactly is to be part of each team and other stuff that has to do with the making of any production we see on a stage. And then, we are in charge of a couple of shows during the semester, this time is a dance performance, a Day of the Death event and a junior production of In The Heights.

The fact that this year we would be working with In the Heights, a musical that I love with all my heart makes me think everything was meant to be. Maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe it was destiny, but what are the odds that I decided to join the company in my senior year, without knowing anything about what we would be doing and I got to be part of the production of one of my favorite musicals, created by one of my favorite persons in the world.

This week we started with auditions and in this process I was a member of the stage crew. At first, I was as nervous as everyone auditioning for one of the characters, because I've never done something like that before. I think I made a couple of mistakes , but I learned how to do it and to be honest, I was having fun and getting to know my classmates and coworkers at this workshop was cool .

I'm so happy and lucky that I can have the chance to be in the theater world, learning and starting exploring some other skills. Doing theater is something I never thought I could do, because I'm not an actress, a singer and I wish I could be a dancer; but as a theater fan and a creative person I realized I could be part of at least one of those groups behind a play or a musical.

Theater is an industry of people, art and hard work. I hope in the future I could have the opportunity to work in it and actually do something to make a show happen, because who knows if in the audience there's someone like me, that doesn't know he/she/them can be part of that magic everyone sees on stage.