UMW Theatre builds a community beyond the stage

by SOPHIA TOMPKINS

Staff Writer

“We can’t picture being anything but show people/ Civilians find the whole thing quite bizarre/ But that hop in our hearts/ When the overture starts/ Helps us know how lucky we are” – Show People from Curtains 

I have been a theatre kid for a very long time—I was going to the theatre before I was even out of my mother’s womb. In third grade, I watched the sixth graders put on a show as part of a class assignment and dreamed of the day that would be me. When I was older and it was finally my turn, I was so excited to live out that dream and be part of the class that put on a show about Greek myths for the younger kids. 

In expanding my love for theatre, I took classes at my community theatre and performed on stage there. In middle school, I joined the costume crew for productions such as Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan. When I joined the costumes department, I found something that felt like me. I continued with costumes throughout high school and even found myself acting again, like I had in elementary school. 

When I was applying to college, I knew I wanted to stay involved with theatre, so I joined the UMW theatre department by taking a few classes and signing up to work in the costume shop. I immediately made friends and felt like I belonged. I love every aspect of the work, like spending time in the costume shop creating pieces to be worn on-stage, ushering for the shows and attending classes. 

Theatre creates a community for so many people, even those who worry they may not belong.

“I’ve always really, really loved the community that I can find through theater. It was something that really stood out to me in my high school,” said freshman Emma Simanski. “When I started doing theater in high school, I very quickly found that community. I was really nervous because so many people in my theatre department had been doing it for so much longer than I had, and I was so worried that they were going to think that I was fake or that I didn’t know enough. But once people started knowing my name I was immediately accepted.” 

Being part of this department and putting on these productions sometimes feels unreal. Theatre has always been such an important part of who I am, and being part of productions that leave the audience thinking, laughing, or even crying gives me a purpose in life that I never thought I would have. 

Shows like “Twelve Angry Jurors” and “John Proctor is the Villain,” which leave the audience thinking long after the show, are so fun to work on because someone in the audience might have experienced something similar to what is being depicted in the play. This puts life into our shows and adds an additional human touch, so it isn’t just actors on stage reciting lines, instead, it is characters with real-life experiences. 

Shows like “Nunsense,” which make the audience laugh, are equally fun to work on because they give the audience a break from whatever is going on in their life. Allowing the audience to just sit and laugh rather than thinking about the next bill they have to pay or the paper due next week is so important. 

“Those late nights and those stressful tech weeks with all your friends backstage until 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock at night, and rehearsals and all of those memories of creating that really close community, I think theater has the power to do that in a really impressive way, and I’ve always loved that about it,” said Simanski. 

Theatre is my home away from home. It allows me to be myself when I feel like I can’t be in other aspects of my life. Whenever I am feeling down or like I am not enough, my theatre community is always there to remind me that I matter. 

From break-a-leg notes on opening night to the cast and crew passing around thank-you notes when the show is closing. The department never fails to remind you that you are an important part of the process. 

“Everybody has to be there or the show doesn’t go on. It’s very noticeable when someone’s not there, both in the fact that you’re like, oh my god, I’m doing another person’s job but also that you’re like, my heart is kind of empty because this person is missing,” said Kate McClurken-Orr, a senior theatre education major. 

The next production that UMW Theatre will present is Peter and the Starcatcher. This prequel to Peter Pan follows Boy on his journey to becoming Peter. It will open on April 3 and run until April 19.

If you want to get involved in the UMW Theatre Department, you should sign up for practicum next semester. At the practicum meeting, you sign up for a job. These jobs can range from acting to making sets and costumes, working backstage for shows, and ushering for shows. 

“From the person who’s selling merchandise to the lead actress on stage, every single part of the well-oiled machine that is theater is so incredibly integral to telling that story and creating the experience for the audience,” said Simanski.