Be a girl who lives life queen size and not as a queen. A girl who lives larger than life knows that there's more to the script that she's given. She understands characters on several levels and she's adept at reading between the lines. Be a girl who can switch from demanding stage presence on stage as an actor to being humble backstage with the crew. Be that theatre girl who believes in saving her "Drama Queen" tendencies for the audience because she knows her Diva-act is in poor taste if she shows it to her crew. Be a theatre girl because life is just too mundane without the passion behind the flamboyance. Embrace the flamboyance, even if it does make you look crazy. "You're only given a spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." -Robin Williams.
Be a girl who understands commitment. The girl in theatre, regardless of whether she's under the 16 par cans and 4 spots or whether she's operating those lights, knows that perfection takes practice and practice takes commitment. But she hasn't forgotten the joy of spontaneity on stage, the rush from improvisation and the fuel of excitement that keeps her character alive. The girl in theatre values time, genuineness and your attention. She knows that in this day and age, you would rather watch X Men : Days of Future Past munching on pop-corn and sipping on your soda than hauling your rear end to the local music hall to watch her version of Miss Marple. She's going to give it her all anyway, whether you turn up or not, because she values herself, her effort and her craft, but she'll still try to get you to come. Support her. Encourage her. There's enough criticism floating around. Be impartial in your judgement, she will be grateful for it. "Movies will make you famous; Television will make you rich; But theatre will make you good." - Terrence Mann.
Be a girl who isn't afraid to take risks after weighing the pros and cons of a particular script. The girl in theatre knows that there's a good chance she may receive flak for putting The Vagina Monologues on stage. She knows there's a risk of her being labeled. But she's used to proving people wrong even without trying. She knows the difference between being genuine on stage and trying to fool the audience. She values her audience, she wouldn't underestimate you. Ever. The girl in theatre knows that losing/damaging/breaking a prop is part and parcel of putting up a production. She's not going to whine. She's going to drag her bottom across town to get a replacement without flipping a switch. These are life skills she's honing, ones that you will learn slowly and painfully across the years but ones that she will be more than familiar with by the time she's 25. "Life is a theatre set in which there are but few practicable entrances." - Victor Hugo, Les Miserables.
Be a girl who knows her cues, whether she's standing at the wings ready to hand over the correct prop to right actor at the right moment, whether she's at the L&S pit fading out the spotlight and turning up the volume for that recorded ringtone or whether she's carefully and efficiently redoing an actor's makeup to make them age 15 years within the span of 15 seconds. The girl in theatre knows it's all about timing. She knows when to open that door for opportunity to waltz in and she knows when to open a window to check. She knows when to let you rant and when to step in and make you see that every dark cloud has it's silver lining. She knows that while a silhouette can look beautiful on stage, it can only be lit from the back. She's learned the art of compromising for the overall effect, especially when she's not being glorified. "An actor must never be afraid to make a fool of himself". - Harvey Cocks.
Be a girl who loves the stage. There is nothing stronger and livelier than being passionate about theatre. Passion is more than being driven and much more than feeling fulfilled. The girl in theatre knows that the reason she wakes up in the morning is for her 5pm rehearsal that day. She knows the value of preparation. She knows that being subject to judgement is just another facet of her lifestyle and she has learned, the hard way, to take everything with a pinch of salt. She knows that if she's at the helm as the Director, she has the responsibility of her actors pouring their hearts out to her in the form of performance. That responsibility is her's alone and it is a weight she carries on her shoulders with immense pride. She has learned, again, the hard way, that trust is an invaluable and precious gift; one that is fragile, clear and delicate like ornately carved crystal. It would kill her soul to be frivolous with it. "The Director's Role: You are the obstetrician. You are not the parent of this child we call the play. You are present at its birth for clinical reasons, like a doctor or midwife. Your job most of the time is simply to do no harm. When something does go wrong, however, your awareness that something is awry--and your clinical intervention to correct it--can determine whether the child will thrive or suffer, live or die." - Frank Hauser, 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Director's Chair.
Be a theatre girl because it satiates your thirst for something new, always. Context, subtext, plot twists, costume malfunctions, prop disasters and improvisation to move on from a mistake are life hacks you've learned from the stage. Theatre is life disguised as art concentrated into 2 hours of make-believe. The girl who loves and lives theatre, knows it only too well and she wouldn't give it up for the world.
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