The art of theater is an ancient one dating back to Greece. Whilst in the past Greeks would perform religious rituals for the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus, times have changed. With this change of time, so too did the boundaries and limitations of theater.
Judson theater students, led by Larry Bailey, continue to push the bounds of what can be done in the confines of theater. As he helps his young actors prepare for the stage, theater at Judson is more than just about students coming together to act, it’s about students coming together as a family.
“It‘s like a family, I grew up really close with the people here, and you’re free to be yourself here. It’s nice,” stated senior Jamil Shaheed.
Senior Destinee Casey sees theater as an outlet, stating, “To me, theater is an outlet, a place you can be more yourself.”
“It [theater] is a place where people are welcomed and allowed to be themselves and not be judged for it, because everyone is coming from different backgrounds,” stated senior Jackie Pumarejo.
Theater gives you the opportunity to be anyone throughout fiction. You can play a variety of different characters, demonstrated by the members of the theater themselves.
As they prepared themselves for future competitions, many different personalities and performances were showcased.
For example, Pumarejo and senior Daisy Uriarte have a duet piece called “Bottoms.” It focuses on two lesbians who start a fight club. A fight club is a type of underground organization based around organized fighting matches.
A POI, also known as a Program Oral Interpretation, is where you come up with a topic you want your piece to revolve around and then compile sources from different media to perform what your topic is about.
Whilst senior Jamil Shaheed, is doing a POI about being black and gay. The variety is clear of what you can do in theater. Some have been doing theater as long as they can remember, like Shaheed who says “I’ve been acting since I was little.” While Daisy Uriarte joined with the sole reason being “I was at fish camp and they asked me to join, and I said sure because I had done it before.”
You don’t have to have a life defining reason to join theater. Even if you are slightly interested in joining, the students of the program encourage you to do so.
Uriate states, “I would say if you’re interested, even if you’re the smallest bit nervous give it a shot. There’s no harm in trying.”
Theatre is a place of freedom, a community that students have worked hard to build and maintain. Uriarte says “Everybody is really open and welcoming, so you don’t have to worry about anyone saying anything about you.” If you’re interested in theatre arts head to the PAC and speak with Mr. Bailey to see what you can do to join their community.