From Role to Role

One of the cool things about theatre is that you’re never restricted to just one role.  It goes beyond being cross trained, which many people are, but sometimes things just change as one’s life changes.  They can take on different mantles at different times.  I’ve seen people who have only directed, act.  I’ve seen actors double as headshot photographers.  And I, myself, have gone on a very bizarre journey through different roles in theatre.  There’s a lot to be said for people who can do multiple things…especially if they do them well.  I can definitely say that working through different positions and roles in shows has changed my life.

I started my life in theatre as an actor.  And for most of my life, I thought that was where I belonged.  I was so sure I was going to be an actor forever.  My first actual step away from this was when I director a production of The Laramie Project in college.  Honestly, I didn’t do a great job.  I had a lot of help getting that show up.  Okay, so maybe directing wasn’t for me.  I enjoyed acting in the show a lot more anyway.  It was just a first step, though.

When I got my first stage managing job, I was entirely unsure of how to do it.  I’d seen people do it before, and with a little help, I really took to the task.  I learned that I absolutely loved stage managing.  More than acting, which I thought was my forever love.  Maybe it was the point I was at in my life.  Maybe it was just the discovery of that role.  I think it was probably a combination of a lot of things.  But I was playing a whole new role in theatre, and I knew it was the right one for me.

This is probably a lot more common than most people think it is.  Just like in life, it’s not like we just do one thing for our whole lives.  Theatre is a place for growth, for discovering who you are, what you can do.  There’s no room for limiting yourself.  You’re never going to figure out who you are, what works best for you, what makes you happiest, or anything else by limiting yourself.  And theatre is just the place to learn all that.  You can hop from role to role until you find what’s the best…you may even enjoy multiple parts within theatre.

Another thing is that knowing all the parts of theatre make you understand different ones even better.  I can work from the booth and know exactly how to call a show, because I’ve been in so many shows with a stage manager calling a show.  I can write a show and know how to perfect a script because of how many I’ve read and performed myself.  It’s a pretty cool thing, but I see so much of it in the theatre.  Creative people are often multi-talented.  It’s beautiful, and it’s inspiring.

That’s really the thing, though.  Creative people aren’t just creative in one way.  When you’re so good at thinking outside the box in one way, it’s not like you can’t jump to another way.  And sure, some people do prefer to stay in just one part…there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!  But if people do want to jump from one place to another…there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, either!  The option is quite often there, whether you choose to take it or not.  And I think that’s really cool.  I got to go from actor to director to stage manager, and each role was a blessing in its own way.

Like I said before, I’ve seen a lot of people in theatre do many different things within theatre.  That really inspires me.  I don’t have to pick just one aspect of theatre to dedicate myself to.  Yes, I really just want to stage manage, but I think I’d really like to act again someday, too.  Nobody is going to tell me I can’t do both (though obviously not on the same show…that would be extremely difficult).  I might even want to try my hand at directing again.  Maybe some day I will.

People learn all about different parts in theatre in the most basic ways.  Actors learn about costumes while going through fittings and ending up wearing them.  Writers learn about actors by watching them perform in other shows.  Directors learn about stage managers by handing shows over to them when it’s time.  Everything about theatre is so interwoven that it’s so easy to jump around and try different aspects.  And whether you end up on stage, off stage, creating the stage, and everything in between, you’re playing a role that may change from show to show.  It’s something that’s very fitting of theatre, when you think about it.  No matter what, the roles are always changing, and that makes up something beautiful