by Eric Goudie

Created on: April 17, 2009

I saw my first community theatre production when I was 15 years old, a dress rehearsal of Michel Tremblay's Albertine in Five Times. I had been invited through a local youth theatre class that I had joined just a few weeks before, and I was working my way through my first high school drama course so I was still about as green to the theatre as you could get. But I can still remember the giddy rush of emotions and the butterflies in my stomach as I walked home after the performance that night. I had gotten my first taste of the true power and passion of live theatre, and from then on I was hooked.

Today, I run my own community theatre company, with hundreds of members of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life, and while it's a lot work and a lot of stress one of the most rewarding parts of my job is getting to see and hear about all the reasons people have for getting involved in community theatre, and how community theatre has changed their lives.

Some people get into community theatre by accident, like the father who drove his child to an audition and wound up getting a part, or the sister who got recruited to fill a role at the last second because someone dropped out and she just happened to be the right age. There are people who come out to a show to support a friend or family member and love the experience so much that they want to try it for themselves. There are people who have just moved to the area and are looking for a place to meet new friends, and there are a whole host of people who get involved in community theatre not out of a desire to perform but because they have desperately-needed technical skills in construction, painting, sewing or audio engineering and have been recruited to help out backstage.

Community Theatre draws in people from all sorts of professions and activities. Musicians, singers, dancers, magicians, mimes, jugglers, buskers and stand-up comics are all natural fits for the stage, and many professionals in these areas often come to community theatre to hone their skills and broaden their horizons. Public speakers, auctioneers, preachers, professors, teachers and business executives are also drawn to community theatre, using their experiences onstage to improve their public speaking, presentation and non-verbal communication skills. Painters, sculptors, potters, weavers, fashion designers and multi-media artists all have a natural attraction to the design elements of live theatre, and often enjoy the challenge of applying their

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>