A Writer's Love Letter to Theater | Olivia J

"Theater is the most immediate way in which another human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being," -Oscar Wilde

There has never been a time where I don't remember being on stage. If it wasn't theater, it was dance. When I quit dance sometime in elementary school, I started theater in fifth grade, and it's been a part of my life ever since. The thing is: I don't know if theater is going to continue to be a part of my life beyond high school.

And so we find ourselves, nearly a decade later. This Saturday was my last show at Washington. I've made lifelong friends and forever memories. I'm feeling a whirlwind of everything, and so, I did what only I knew how do. I wrote about it. 

~

Dear WCHS Theater Department,

Thank you for making this place a home away from home. Sometimes my creative cave can be a little lonely, even when I do connect with other writers/artists. But you guys are loud and bright and crazy and full of love and sometimes it's everything I need on bad days. Thank you for accepting me even though I'm not pursuing a career in this field, even though I'm not 'like you'. 

What I really want to say is that I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss the bleary-eyed trips to Steak 'n Shake. I'm going to miss the writhing of nerves in the dimly lit wings, but the solace of knowing that we're all feeling the same thing. I'm going to miss gambling for Oreos in the scene shop. I'm going to miss that terrible, duct taped couch and that marma-laaaawwwhhd warm-up and the memes we made of ourselves and taped on the walls of the dressing rooms. I'm going to miss this whole experience more than anything about high school, and it breaks my heart that this period of my life is over. 

But hey, maybe this experience will show up in one of my books someday, in flashes of characters and subplots, or little puzzles pieces painting a picture of life and art and the feeling of being free. Maybe I'll write about all of you. That way, I can immortalize this. I'll freeze these moments in time for us to experience and re-experience all over again - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the absolutely amazing. 

Maybe then, I won't miss it so much. But then again, I think those are the best things to write about. 

With bittersweet love,

~The WordShaker