Most people who attend a play have little idea about what it takes to put a show on the stage. They sit down, read through the program, and then enjoy the story that unfolds before them. You are in the unique position of being able to understand how much effort it takes to produce even the simplest of plays.

It was such a surprise to me to get involved in the backstage part of theater productions. In high school, I was the star; I wouldn't have been caught dead on a crew. Who wanted to sit in the shadows while someone else got the glory? When I got to college, however, that opinion changed quickly and radically. I suddenly became the costume shop coordinator at Wheaton College, and while I learned the job as I went, creating a glorious costume from only an idea was just as pleasurable as standing on the stage and delivering a monologue. Even today, I get just as jazzed about the design discussions for a show as I do with the direction and the performance.

With all of our work in class, what area of theater are you most attracted to? Do you see the triangles and levels of directing clearly? Do ideas about design concepts pop out at you when you read a play? Is the performance aspect your true joy?