Little Mermaid dancer in front of digital projection

What to Say to Someone Interested in Theatre? | Video

This week on Behind the Curtain, we talk to Atlanta-based artistic director Amanda Farnsworth. Amanda gives her take on what to say to anyone, young or old, who has an interest in doing theatre—her response may just get you to an audition today!

Video Length: 2:23 (2 minutes, 23 seconds)

QUESTION: “What Would You Say to Someone Interested in Theatre?”

AMANDA: “I’d say if you’re interested (in theatre) or even had it cross your mind, do it. Do it! Do it! Do…it! Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Do it, go right now. Find an audition, show up, sing horribly and off key. Get on there (on stage), learn to dance. It’s so much fun. It’s just so much fun! It’s way more fun if you don’t care how you look or sound. It’s way more fun if you just go for the experience. Just do it.

It’s also one of the best ways to learn to do something you’ve never done before. Whether it’s sing or tap dance or gymnastics or set design or costume design or running lights from the board. Do it, do it, do it. It’s one of the most magical, collaborative projects you can do. And it’s accessible to pretty much anyone.

If you don’t get accepted to the first one go to another one. Find somewhere you can experience it. Just taste it. See if you like it. And then if you hate it, fine. You can go do woodworking. But, you know, I hope everyone in the world tries it at least once. I’ve heard stories, and I’ve never been around for this and in modern day we don’t have a ton of oral tradition, perhaps poetry or music, songs are as close as we get to that. But I used to read stories or see in history about oral tradition or read novels about people experiencing oral tradition. Stories about identity. Stories about community. Stories about where we come from, being passed down from generation to generation to generation. As far as I’m concerned this (theatre) is one of the only ways to really experience that in our modern day—now. If you get to be a part of of telling stories, some of these stories have been told for a hundred years. Some of the musicals we produce now, the plays were produced much longer than that ago for the first time. So we are in some ways carrying on an oral tradition by being part of theatre.

To me, that’s something everyone should be part of. Not just the people that were trained to do it.”