by Caitlin Kenyon Marketing Apprentice
(This blog post is part of a continued series created by our apprentices about how and why they fell in love with the theatre)
When I was four
years old, my dad asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. After rattling off an exorbitant amount of careers I was planning to pursue, I walked away feeling satisfied with myself. No more than 5 minutes later, I ran back into the room completely flustered asking him if I could change my mind. I then announced that I wanted to be an actor because then I could be anything I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Since that time I’ve stayed pretty true to my word. I’ve performed in numerous shows, taken many performance classes, and also took the time to discover that my love for theatre wasn’t just on the stage but also laid behind the scenes helping to make it all happen.
For about a decade now I have been a faithful member of the theatre community, constantly working both on and off the stage to bring the thing I love the most to life. When asked why I love the theatre so much I have two main responses.
- It’s a live experience.
- It has the ability to influence change.
Unlike film and television, theatre is live and unpredictable. Night to night the performance changes depending on the relationship between the performers and the audience. It is impossible to know how a show will be perceived or what the take away will be for the parties involved. Every performance allows for both the actors and the audience to have a personal experience together that can provide the opportunity for different topics to be discussed and brought to light. Theatre has the power to influence change and make people think in a way that I feel no other art form really can. You may be forced to feel things that will make you cry, smile, laugh, be disgusted, and think deeply about your place in this world. This is why I’ve chosen to be in this field. I don’t just want to entertain, I want to make something that moves people and for me it doesn’t matter if I do that as a performer or behind the scenes.
Outside of the theatre community, I like to think my life is just as adventurous and exciting. I am an avid crafter, book/comic book addict, lover of all foods, yoga devotee and I am absolutely addicted to travel. My junior year of college I spent my first semester studying in London, England at Queen Mary University and during that time got to visit Stratford-upon-Avon and hop over to Paris. I have also had the opportunity to visit my cousins who live in Northern Ireland twice and I can honestly say there is no place in the world I love more than that country. I am a huge buff on Irish history and was even in an Irish band in high school called Celtic Music Society as their featured vocalist. But while I have had the opportunity to travel to many places within and outside of the USA I still have many places left on my list to go.
My main goal in life is to see and do as many things as I possibly can and thus far I feel very blessed in that department. As my arrival at Gloucester Stage comes closer and closer I can only feel my excitement building as I imagine all of the people, places, and things I will get to experience. Here’s to a new adventure!
*GSC Blog posts are the select opinions of individual employees and may not necessarily reflect the views of Gloucester Stage as a whole.