Why The Theater: Julia Fioravanti

By Julia FioravantiJulia Fioravanti

Stage Management/Production Apprentice

(This blog post is part of a continued series created by our apprentices about why they love theater)

Why the theatre? This is not a new question for me. It is a question that I am constantly asked by my friends, family, teachers, and just about anybody. Answering this question is simpler than some would think. Why spend countless hours preparing for a show and maintaining a show all for it to just be taken down and packed up in a few short weeks? Why go through the agonizing work and endless stress? Well…why not?

For me the reason for it all is love. I love every second that I spend in the theatre. The community it creates is something you cannot achieve anywhere else. I love the dialogue. Not just in the scripts, but the conversations had between people with the same passion for this crazy world. I love the atmosphere. As I walk into a theatre space I finally feel at home. For me it has a sense of comfort and freedom that allows me to explore myself and the world around me.

For as long as I can remember I have always been drawn to the stage whether it be in church musicals, singing in choirs, or in theatrical productions. The first one that I can vividly remember is a church musical. I remember the show like it was yesterday, I was only 5 years old. I was dressed up as an Egyptian with a wig and eye makeup, the whole 9 yards. I don’t remember why to this day whether it was nerves or something was on my mind even just as a Kindergartner but when I got up on that stage I just blacked out. My family said it was a rousing success; I just wish I could remember it. Through that whole situation something jolted in me that at that time I didn’t put together. I caught a bug not anything dangerous or contagious but artistic. I caught the theater bug and it’s been poisoning me with talent and passion ever since. From grade school all the way up to high school and college where my appreciation for all things theatrical blossomed. I filled my schedule with theatre courses and spent all of my free time on productions. It is there that I found my passion for stage management and design. My apprenticeship at GSC is a continuation of my theatre education and I hope to continue to work in theatre for the rest of my life.

So, if you ask me the question “Why the theatre?” my answer to you simply will be “Why not?”

*GSC Blog posts are the select opinions of individual employees and may not necessarily reflect the views of Gloucester Stage as a whole.