Student Blog: Thoughts After Six Months at Theater School

Hello, my name is Shelby Lewis, and I am so excited to be a part of the Broadway World Student Blogger Program for the Spring season! I’m currently in my second semester of my freshman year at Emerson College majoring in Theater Education. I’m so happy to be writing for Broadway World, and I'm excited to continue pursuing a career in all areas of theater in college and the future. Mostly, I’m very excited to share my college experiences through theater with other students and theater creators. Since starting college this past fall, I’ve loved being in an environment where passion and creativity is encouraged.

I was very lucky to attend a high school with a theater department that was strong and exciting to be a part of, and I am so proud of the hard work my peers and I put into that program to make it what it was and is. Going into college, I was incredibly worried about finding a community in theater like the one I had in high school, and finding the kinds of opportunites and success I wanted. My journey to ending up at college for theater at all was far from straightforward; like many people, I've often been filled with doubt and fear about my own abilities to be successful in this field and because of that I struggled to commit to studying theater at all.

However, since beginning college this past fall I've found (amongst many ups and downs) how easy it is to find a community amongst passionate people if you just commit. I’ve never had one single interest in theater; I've always had passions for acting, directing, teaching, marketing, set design, and so much more. Really, I just love theater as a whole. This lack of singularity and clarity in my path for the future has always been something I've been insecure about, especially in high school where there aren’t often tons of opportunities to explore different areas of theater. Often in theater and entertainment, people are very set in their specific goals and areas.  So where would my place be if I wasn’t the best actor, or completely dedicated to tech, or passionate enough about any one thing to stick with it? 

But being in college has taught me almost the opposite. When there’s more interest and excitement to be involved, there are more opportunities. This semester, I am excited (and a little terrified) to be working on three different productions in many different roles. I am in one show as an actor and working on it as the scenic designer. I'm also directing a short work, and am working on my school-required crew assignment. While who knows if i’ll be able to sleep this semester (I somehow predict my next post will be about avoiding burnout), I couldn’t be prouder to be actively pursuing the things I once worried I’d never be able to, and to be learning and making connections as I do it. So to any future theater students worried about finding their place or fitting in, I'd tell you to enter school with an open and excited mind. Don’t be afraid to try new things, and don’t be afraid to stray from your area of expertise. You won’t be the best, so don’t feel like you have to be. All you have to be is interested, genuine, and passionate, and you will eventually find your place and your opportunities.