I truly discovered a love for theatre, particularly musical theatre, in high school. Unless you have experienced it yourself, it is hard to explain the feeling you get when you are onstage performing with this cast that you have bonded with creating this show together, or that feeling you get when you hear the audience clapping for you during curtain calls. As corny as it may sound to some people, live theatre is truly a magical experience that can't be replicated.

Before I discovered that theatre is something I was truly passionate about, I never really felt like I fit in with other kids. I was the kid who instead of running around playing tag or kickball, you would have probably found me recreating some scene from a Disney movie, or singing whatever my favorite song happened to be at the time. Now, don't get me wrong; I wasn't a total outcast or anything. I did have friends , but our interests didn't always line up. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with that because everyone has their own likes and dislikes. I have always felt that there had to be at least some people who enjoyed the same things I did. Then high school came around, and I signed up for theatre and chorus as electives.

Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Finally, I was surrounded by a group of kids who had the same passion for art that I did. I suddenly felt comfortable being myself in a way that I hadn't before. I could be goofy around these people, and sing show tunes with them, and fangirl over shows in a way that most other people would look at you like you’re insane for.

These are the people you see day after day for rehearsal. They witness your random little outbursts that can only be caused by one thing; tech week. They’re the people you feel comfortable waltzing into Wal-Mart with at 11:00 at night with a pound of stage makeup still on your face. You do not care because you know they look just as bad as you do after singing, dancing, and acting for almost two hours non-stop, and the best part of all this is no matter how exhausted you are, you’ll probably still have a jam session in the car and get excited all over again that all this hard work could possibly lead you to be on a cast album just like your favorite Broadway stars.

If you have an interest in pursuing theatre as a career, or even as a hobby, go for it! Do not ever be afraid to take a leap of faith, because something great could come out of it.