While I’m no theater major, or even actress for that matter, I’ve found myself enjoying the theater more than ever this past school year. I’ve always been a fan of the well-known musicals such as “Grease” and “Phantom of the Opera,” but this past school year has opened me up to many new musicals and plays, as well as entirely new experiences. From a newly crowned “Theater Nerd” to you, here are five reasons why everyone should give the theater arts a try.

1. You meet so many new people.

The people I’ve met while working lights for two local shows are some of the best, from actors to other tech/stage crew members and directors. Somehow these people, whether you’re on tech/stage crew or acting with them, end up being your family inside and outside the theater. Those people who frequent the theater are some of the most accepting people I’ve met, and I love every single one of them.

2. You learn a lot of new things.

In the long run, if you’re a frequent actor or actress, studies have shown you’ll improve your ability to learn and memorize, which we can all agree would be useful for school. In general, you just learn a lot of new things in the theater; it can help you in school, in the real world, or you could just pick up some new, but totally random, knowledge.

3. You can be someone else, or somewhere else, for a little while.

Whether you’re acting as someone else, or watching someone else act, you get to be someone else for a period of time. Personally, when I watch someone else act, I find myself relating to the characters and being them for a short period of time. As for being somewhere else, plays and musicals are almost always set in a different time period, different place in the world, or in an entirely different world altogether, so you can get whisked away to another place with the right production. With so much stress in everyday life, a temporary trip to somewhere new is always appreciated.

4. It can help you overcome shyness and anxiety.

We’re all familiar with the idea of throwing someone in at the deep end, or making someone do something difficult (to them) with no preparation or help. If you consider yourself a shy person, or socially anxious, getting involved in acting can be just the thing! Whether you’re in the ensemble, or land yourself a lead role, you’re putting yourself right in at the deep end and making yourself visible to everyone. This can be the key to overcoming fears!

5. It’s completely personal.

The theater doesn’t tell you what to feel; everything about it is completely personal. No one interprets the play, the characters, or the lines the same way. The whole thing, to an extent, is up for personal interpretation, making it that much more personal to you when you take the time to see a play or musical. This “open to interpretation” idea can help you broaden your thinking skills and teach you to think a different way than you usually do.