When I first stepped onto a small community theater stage, I wasn’t thinking about fame or big-city lights. I just wanted to perform, connect with people, and be part of something creative. What I didn’t realize then was how powerful community theater really is. It’s not just about acting, it’s about collaboration, storytelling, and keeping the love of live performance alive. In this blog, we’ll explore what community theater acting truly is and why it continues to matter just as much today as it ever did.
Connecting Stories to Humanity:
Red was a show I was told it was never going to be here, and we performed it, and it was important to make the connection with the audience that this is not about gay people, this is not about transvestites or people who are poor.
This is a story about people, the struggles, and awareness of AIDs that is still going on, it can be absolutely educational.
An audience member will come in, and they’ll expect to see a great show. You’re going to get that no matter what, but when you put the color purple up on that stage with a full cast of African-American people who are still struggling with racism, they tap into that character.
Acting Through Empathy:
You cannot act if you do not empathize with your character, even if you don’t agree with them. It doesn’t just take a person and put them in a character so that they can just perform it.
The audience will see right through that if you’re just performing it, they’ll see right through it. If you are connected to the character that you are playing, it changes your life, it changes your perspective on life, it changes how you view people, how you view people in the world where our world is going.
And I know it sounds like this big huge soap box, but it’s absolutely true.
Living the Message, Not Just Performing It:
There was some question on whether or not that was a show that we should be doing, and I said absolutely one because racism is still happening.
Sometimes, to understand the problem, you have to live the problem, and for the audience, if there is one person, I don’t care if it’s one person who walks away with finding their voice, like Celie did
“You’re poor, you’re Black, you’re ugly, you’re a woman…”
“I may be poor, I may be Black, I may be ugly, but I’m here.”
Or the one person who found Redemption and changed their life the way Mister did, then we’ve done our job.
Stories Without Boundaries:
I think it’s also important to understand that if you take away the historical part of that story and you just focus on the characters, just the characters that show have no race.
It could be my story of being abused, it could be anyone’s story, and I think that’s what the Arts does, it changes the world without people ever realizing that it’s happening.
The Purpose of the Arts:
A lot of what we’ve done in the past 6 years has been deliberate. It has been deliberate not to just entertain our audiences, it’s to connect.
I’ve told people before it is not our job to change people’s minds it is not our job to form opinions for our audiences or our actors our job our only job is to tell a story with as much integrity and honesty so that it resonates to the world our world here in New Burn to hopefully make it a better place to make people think to make people feel because that is what the Arts are supposed to do.
Conclusion:
Thanks for reading this blog. Community theater reminds us that storytelling is about connection, not perfection. It gives everyday people the chance to step into someone else’s shoes, to feel, to understand, and to share that experience with others. In a world that often feels divided, community theater keeps empathy, creativity, and humanity alive on stage, one story, one performance, and one audience at a time.
FAQs:
1. What is community theater acting?
Community theater acting involves local performers coming together to create live productions for their community, often on a volunteer basis.
2. Why is community theater still important today?
It builds empathy, connection, and understanding among people by sharing real, relatable stories.
3. How does community theater differ from professional theater?
Community theater focuses on collaboration, creativity, and storytelling rather than fame or commercial success.
4. What makes community theater impactful for audiences?
It reflects real human struggles and emotions, encouraging people to think, feel, and connect deeply.
5. How does acting in community theater affect performers?
It helps actors grow emotionally, develop empathy, and gain a broader perspective on life and others.
6. What is the ultimate purpose of community theater?
Its goal is to tell honest stories that inspire reflection, unity, and positive change within the community.
