Article Written By Natalie Hendricks
1. Stage fright is a foreign concept
The urge to constantly be on stage, wanting all eyes on you is a familiar feeling. Audiences do not scare you. When being in non-related theatre group projects, you are automatically picked to be the group leader. Presentation skills? No problem. You have mastered the skill and talent of being able to stand in front of a classroom without notecards; putting on a performance for a presentation. Yeah, you still have that one reoccurring nightmare of forgetting your lines, but you are always prepared and know how to improvise.
2. You tell people to “break a leg” rather than “good luck”
It is bad luck to tell someone good luck before a performance, so you say “break a leg”. Saying good luck is superstitious, therefore, “break a leg” was invented as an ironic phrase. You find yourself starting to say break a leg constantly, whether it’s to a friend who is about to take a test or to someone going to a job interview. You may not know the origin of the phrase, but that does not matter, you have found the phrase to be adopted in your vocabulary anyways.
3. You spell “theatre” with an “re,” not an “er”
They may be interchangeable and mean the exact same thing, but as a theatre major you know which one is the correct way. It may sound pretentious to those not in the arts, but they just don’t understand. There is a difference to you.
4. Always having that constant supply of makeup
Ladies and gentlemen alike know the life. You have it all, from fake eye lashes to extreme amounts of foundation and lipstick in every tone of color in your make-up bag. You are always prepared to look like whatever role you have been casted for. Everyone knows it too; even your non-theatre friends will start asking you to do their makeup for special events. I mean hey, you didn’t take Theatrical Makeup in college for nothing, right?
5. You constantly use the excuse, “I can’t, I have rehearsal”
Always missing out on holidays, parties, and lunch with friends. All your non-theatre friends will get used to the classic excuse of, “I can’t, I have rehearsal,” or “maybe after rehearsal I can.” You find yourself constantly working. Whether it is for your friend who is producing a performance for free, helping a local non-profit organization with stage management, or performing for a class. There is always an excuse of why you can’t go out.