I miss my family.
Yes I miss my mom and dad, but that’s another story. What I’m talking about is my One Act Play family.
I have to admit that I am ecstatic that high school is over, but I can’t keep myself from wishing that I could rewind and relive my time spent in my high school’s auditorium getting ready for UIL OAP contest.
I’ve been acting since I was 4 years old and I absolutely love it, although lately I’ve become more of a spectator than a performer, but that’s just fine with me. My love for the theatre is not restricted to acting alone. I love working backstage, building sets, sewing costumes, or just enjoying a show from the audience.
My favorite component of the theatre is that when you’re involved in a show you become part of a family, literally. You work, play, eat and sleep together while forming a bond that will last for a lifetime.
It may sound kind of ridiculous; but, when you spend hours and hours with someone working on a show, you tend to become friends. Some of my closest friendships have been formed through working on a show together.
The formation of a theatre family just doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a multi-step process.
First, you’re with the people in the show more than the people in your real family. Being in any kind of theatrical production takes hours and hours of hard work and you spend those hours with your fellow thespians.
When spending so much time together, you’re naturally going to find something to talk; about and, before you know it, the social nature of human beings takes over and friendships form.
Next, you need to know that everyone in a show will be humiliated at least once during the course of the production. Be it falling off the stage, tripping over the set or messing up a line, everyone gets their fair share of embarrassment in the theatre. To me, nothing creates a faster or stronger bond than being able to laugh at yourself with a group of good humored people.
Now, there are certain aspects of the theatre that allow a show’s members to get to know each other quite well. For instance, when involved in a show, you are going to see each other naked at some point, or at least see everyone in their underwear. Hey, when a costume change has to happen, it HAS to happen!
So how does a cast of complete strangers become a family? Through time, laughter, and partial nudity, of course! As much as I miss my high school theatre family, I know that time must go on, but the memories and friendships I made will last for the rest of my life.