Back in the Theatre

In high school, I was a theatre guy; I was in every single production that happened in the high school since my sophomore year. The auditorium became my second home, where I would go every single day after school regardless of whether or not there was a production going on at that particular time. I loved the wacky, senseless traditions of the theatre: that people say "Break a leg," instead of "Good luck," that we're never allowed to speak the name of that Shakespeare play about the Scottish king, and the secret, sacred ceremony called "The Brotherhood" that no females are allowed to know about. It gave me something to do, gave me the most ecclectic group of friends ever assembled, and I loved everything about it.

When I got to college, though, I stopped. I didn't even know where the theatre here is until halfway through the spring semester. People would occasionally ask me if I missed it, but I was staying busy, so I never really had time to think about missing it. It's actually sort of sad, knowing that I stopped doing something that I loved so much.

This weekend, I went back to see my high school's production of Beauty and the Beast, as well as another high school's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Both shows were AMAZING. I made it to Beauty and the Beast just in time to participate in The Brotherhood. It did my heart good to see those folks breaking legs left and right, singing, dancing, and acting all over the stage. I never realized how much I actually do miss it.

Now, of course, the logical thing to do would be simply to get involved with the plays here on campus. I might do that sometime if I get bored with my 18-hour class load next semester, but the plans I have are so much grander. I've tried my hand at acting, and I think I did pretty well, but now I'm going to try my hand at playwriting. That's right, I've decided to pen a play.

I'm still sort of working out the details. I don't have a setting or a plot, characters, or even a good idea of what it's going to be. But rest assured, it's going to be amazing when I get it done. It will be a magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous, gargantuan, bedazzlement (for you Moulin Rouge fans). So watch out for it.