College Essay: The Shaping of My Life

34. Describe your hometown and how you are a product of this environment. (Puget Sound)

Whitefish, the small, resort town in Northwest Montana, is home to the small community theatre that shaped my life.

As a child I spent all my time in the theater. My father was working in Whitefish Community Theater as a sound designer and my sister and I spent all our spare time with him. We were known as the “rats of the stage” because we could be found in all the nooks and crannies; we knew the many secrets of the theater. We created homes out of the artificial Fichus trees in the hallways and created a collection of paper airplanes to launch from the balcony. Afternoons in the theatre nurtured my imagination.

As I became older I spent less time playing in the theater and more time actually working. I started to help select costumes from the back rooms, fold laundry, organize tickets, as well as build and paint sets. By the time I was in third grade I began to act in productions. I was known as a dependable person who would do as asked quickly and efficiently. As a result, the director of Beauty and the Beast, called me join the cast as a gargoyle; I got to move set pieces and sing in a choir of adult actors. I was in at least one production a year from the age of eight and I loved it. While I enjoyed being onstage more than off, I was happy to be backstage helping out. Acting and working backstage developed my work ethic from an early age.

In my fifth grade year, my father became involved in Alpine Theater Project, a theater organization made of veteran Broadway actors. Since my dad was working on sound for them, I got to tag along. I spent my summers helping backstage wherever I could, and one year I was asked to run a spotlight for The Full Monty. During my time with Alpine Theater Project I learned about ‘real’ theater. It shaped my theater skills because I actually had a chance to see professionals at work.

In seventh grade I moved to Redmond, Washington and lost the small community theater that had became my home. I continued to be involved with theater and still am. My love of theatre is a result of the years I spent following my father around in the theater.

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