Life is about Experiences

Musical Theatre

Lights up, the heat warms my face. Here I am, frozen in my tight 80’s costume. The backtrack begins, adrenaline shoots through my body down to the tips of my anxious toes. The familiar lines course through my brain. I can barely see the crowd through the thick lights but their presence is noticeable and the energy in the room is contagious. Fellow characters hear their cue and start moving. The sound of their shoes against the freshly painted yet scuffed stage is engraved into my brain. I bite my lip in anxiousness, the taste of cheap lipstick fills my mouth. Here we go again, 3, 2, 1… I don’t even think anymore, my body just knows what to do and before you know it, the stage comes alive, we are no longer at Riverside Secondary, we are at the Sunset Strip in 1981.

Rock of ages is riveting and drags the crowd into the story. This experience is thrilling and brings me such happiness. It’s a show that teaches everyone to never give up on what you believe in, to continue fighting for anything you love, and never stop believing.This experience alone has taught me a great deal about responsibility through the rehearsals and hours we have put into this musical. Now it’s time to take the stage, forget about your own problems, and become your character, it’s show time!

There’s something about musical theatre, it is much more than just singing, acting, and dancing. It’s about relationships, communication, perseverance, working through problems and facing them head on. It’s where you can escape from reality and be apart of someone else’s life. This art form has demolished my once strong comfort zone into a million pieces scattered around my feet, and created a confident individual. I have made friendships to last eternity. Our bond’s are unbreakable by reason of trust, love, and acceptance. Everyone involved has a common goal, and because of this we work hard, we rehearse long hours, we go over and over the same songs and dances just to get that one strenuous step or note correct, but we do it together, never alone.

Lights down, curtains close, I look around to see the thick foundation melting off everyones face, the aroma of sweat mixed with cheap vanilla perfume makes it way to my nose where I inhale the familiar interesting scent. The house lights come up and everyone makes their way to the crowded makeup room to quickly strip off their costumes and carry their tired aching bodies to bed, so that in precisely 19 hours we can make our back to the stage and do what we love all over again.