Let’s take a journey back to high school. (For some of us, it was just last year. For others, it may take a little longer to get there).
The bell has just rung. You’re walking down the crowded hallway, headed to your next class. Maybe it’s Economics. Maybe it’s Anatomy. Maybe it’s (shudder…) Spanish IV. The hallway is a loud cacophony of noise—the buzz of florescent lights, the clicks and squeaks of shoes on industrial tile, students, teachers, overhead announcement in that droning tin voice. As you pass a hundred students, one stands out ahead. You look up, you see each other, and you know exactly who he is, even if you don’t know him at all, because he is just like you…. A theatre kid.
Theatre kid. The concept is universal. Every school, every state, every country. Theatre kids recognize each other no matter where they go. They have a common bond, no matter their age. They know they are friend and family, even if they have never met. They speak the same language. Love the same things. Support each other in the same ways. Understand each other when no one else does. They are an automatic family for any student who needs one.
So… sharpen your Number 2 pencils. Pop quiz from the theatre teacher.
Are you a theater kid? Fill in all the bubbles that apply to you. Back up your answers with primary-source evidence.
Next time you see that kid in the hallway—smile in the knowledge that you are not alone.
I am. You are. They are. We all are.
Theatre Kids.