The Importance of a Theatre Education
I am so excited and honored to be back at Chrysalis as a staff member after graduating from this amazing school ten years ago. I fell in love with theatre when I was here and I knew I wanted to pursue the arts in college. I remember asking my Drama teacher before I graduated if she thought that pursuing a career in theatre would sentence me to be a ‘starving artist’ for the rest of my life, and I will never forget the encouraging words she gave to me. She explained how a theatre education relates to all areas of life and can be beneficial in any career path. It instills confidence and stretches our boundaries. It teaches teamwork, collaboration and accountability. It builds friendships…often lifelong ones. Nothing brings people closer than going through a difficult situation together, and each production brings with it its own difficulties. To learn to persevere through those difficulties and compromise with others are skills that can be applied to future education, jobs and relationships. Pursuing a theatre education is one of the best decisions I have made in my life and I am thrilled to be here to support Karen, Jennifer, Margaret and all of these amazing kids in keeping theatre an imperative part of Chrysalis.
-Jenna Schmidt-Porter