Student Blog: Give Your Regards to Broadway: The Importance of Seeing Live Theatre

As the Summer theatre season is coming to a close, I think about how fortunate I’ve been to see as many shows as I have this year. I’ve been seeing lots of live theatre as of late, including but not nearly limited to The Prom at Playhouse on Park, The Mystery of Edwin Drood at The Goodspeed Theater, and Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club on Broadway. While I try to see shows as often as I can, really taking the time to see as much as I have been lately has really reminded me of the importance and value of seeing live theatre as a performer myself– something I wanted to cover for this month's topics!

First and foremost, the most important element of seeing live theatre is to support our fellow artists. When you pay money to go see a show of any kind, you’re directly supporting any cast, crew, Production Team, sound designers, set designers, lighting workers, carpenters, fight or intimacy coordinators, and anyone else who worked on the production. This is the most direct way you can show your appreciation for them! By going to see the hard work they’ve invested so much time into! I think it is also very important as a performer to practice fostering a love of theatre that is removed from performing and stems from the joy of seeing others perform their art for us as audience members. The same way it’s natural to love being in the spotlight and having people come out to see you, giving other artists that same experience is just as important! It’s a give and take of support. 

Other than filling seats, seeing others in shows has a lot of benefits to strengthening ourselves as performers as well. When we watch others perform, it gives us the opportunity to observe different elements of storytelling to help enrich our own artistic view and emotional range, especially on a professional level to see people who have made a career in learning how to portray stories effectively. Seeing a really evocative performance can help to inspire us to bring something new to the table for our next project ourselves, as well as simply enrich our appreciation for expert storytelling. I also personally think that while not everyone feels this way, seeing straight plays as a musical theatre performer is extremely beneficial. It helps expand our artistic intake to a wider variety of deeper stories that don’t rely on music, as well as examples a different style of acting that we can pull and learn from! 

Lastly, going to see shows is a really big part of keeping the joy of theatre alive, at least in my opinion. When you’re planning to go into any specific field, no matter how much you love it, it quickly can start to feel more like work than a passion you’re pursuing. I’m someone who easily gets caught up in the “this is my job” mindset of theatre work, and I find that whenever I go and see a show it feels like an artistic reset to remind me why I’m doing all of this in the first place– because I love it! Because I smile wide when I’m in an audience seat hearing my favorite songs, crying hard at moments that move me deeply, and it helps me remember that even though I’m working hard to get where I want to be, that this is where I want to be. Having the experience of seeing the very thing I want to be around for the rest of my life always sparks me with so much joy for the path I’ve chosen, and the more you see the more you educate and surround yourself with the environment of your passions.

That all being said, I highly encourage you to see as much theatre as possible! Children’s theatre, community theatre, regional, educational, Broadway– all types, as all will bring you different levels of reflection and joy! It’s important to give back love to the very thing that we work for every day, and seeing other artists and receiving joy from their work is the most fun and efficient way to do so. So check out theaters and theatre groups near you to see if there’s any performances you can pick up near you! The lovely thing about it is that there is always plenty to find when you look for it. So happy looking and happy viewing! Fall theatre season starts now!!