One of my favorite activities in high school was being the lighting director for my school’s drama program, so when I came to Yale I knew I wanted to continue being involved in the theater world. Upon arrival, I immediately looked for ways to get involved with theater and I am proud to say that I just recently finished up my first show. From that experience, I learned that theater in college, and theater at Yale in particular, is much different than theater in high school.
The first lesson I learned during my introduction to theater at Yale was that my job was going to change a lot. I was an Assistant Producer on a senior thesis production called Pancasila and my responsibilities were very different from what they were in high school. As a member of the production team I was responsible for all the little tasks in the background that keep the show running. Some examples include printing scripts, taking production notes, serving as a virtual house manager, and helping with load-in (moving into the theater) and strike (moving out of the theater). This was a drastic change from sitting in rehearsals for hours in high school and then diligently designing a lighting plot, but it was nice to experience a different side of theater.
I also learned along the way that there are several ways to be involved in theater here. I worked on a senior thesis show which is a show run entirely by students that is done as part of the senior requirement for Theater and Performance Studies majors. The other major avenue is the Yale Dramat which is a more centralized theater company. Both students and professionals collaborate on Dramat shows and there are seven shows staged each year. There are also several other groups that produce experimental theater, improv, and more. It is also possible to use theatrical spaces to stage original productions. My experience working on this show taught me that theater is a huge umbrella here and there are so many ways to get involved. The most centralized place to find information about theater opportunities is the Yale College Arts website.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from this experience was that it is extremely easy to get started in Yale theater. For most shows there is no previous experience required and there are seasoned members of the team that are happy to teach newcomers about the process of putting on a show. There is also something for everyone whether your talents lie in graphic design, music, or even scheduling and time management, there is probably a role that everyone can fit into. The steady stream of senior thesis shows coupled with the assortment of other theater opportunities also means that there are almost always shows to work on which means there is always time to get involved.
As a whole, my first theater experience at Yale was incredible and I’m so excited to continue as an Assistant Lighting Designer for two more senior thesis shows in the spring. Doing this show reminded me why I love theater and it showed me a side of the theater world I hadn’t previously experienced. Coming into college I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to theater, especially since my high school was so small. However, I’ve learned so much just from one show and I’m eager to create more pieces of theater in my next four years.
