Dear Troupe 5362,
First of all, thank you for being the most amazing and fun part of my life for four years. Second, I didn’t realize how quickly high school went by until I was standing in the warm-ups circle for my last show giving a speech about my theatre experience. And lastly, in this letter I will be giving small advice to the underclassmen headed into this program.
Tip #1: Get out of your comfort zone.
When I was a freshman I didn’t audition for shows and I wasn’t really apart of the theatre program. I was scared I was horrible at singing and acting and dancing and everyone was going to laugh at me and Grizzle would never like me and all this stuff. Not being involved my freshman year is a big regret of mine. Sophomore year rolls around and my best friend convinced me to audition for a show (Grease). I was so nervous and basically spent like 2 weeks preparing for my audition cause I had never auditioned for anything before at South. I auditioned and got my first role, Frenchy. Frenchy forced me to step out of my comfort zone of auditioning and being afraid of the upperclassmen. I encourage underclassmen to always audition for anything and try new things. My junior year, we did Ghost the Musical, and Mr. Grizzle was auditioning people for the role of this old hispanic woman named Rosa Santiago. I was ensemble in the show and never intended on doing anything else, but I auditioned anyways for fun and ended up getting the role. PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE! No one will shame you and no one will judge you! Audition for as many things as possible! Try tech theatre! Sing that solo! Do as much as you can!
Tip #2: Let it go.
Okay so… This is a heavy topic but needs to be said. The people around you in the program are the people who shape you into the human being you are. Stop bringing people down. Stop being petty. Let the drama go. I cannot stress this enough. These are the people you basically live with. I know we say this all the time but we are a family and we make great shows if all of us are working together for that common goal. I’m not saying we all have to be BFFs and hold hands and sing Kumbaya but there is a certain level of mutual respect we need to have for one another. Let the drama go and the program will thrive.
Tip #3: Be yourself.
There are people who will always try to tear you down for who you are and what you believe in. Never let that happen again. Be yourself and be there for each other. You can’t go through life being embarrassed about singing show tunes in class or talking about a show that you’re passionate about. When you walk through the doors of the PAC, don’t be afraid or ashamed of your personality or the way you look or the way you dress. You are enough.
Thanks for reading! Love you all!