In school, I was constantly bullied; I was ganged up on,
beaten, and terrorized on a regular basis. Or at least that is how it felt at
the time.
On my first day of sixth grade, I transitioned to a middle
school in Norman, Oklahoma. It was the first time I wasn’t able to walk to
school; I had to ride the bus. This
concept to me was terrifying. At 11 years old, I was already almost 6 feet tall
and I was painfully shy—a combination that would prove to be a liability.
I sat on the bus that first morning, scared of the new
experience. To soothe myself, I held my books to my chest, trying to make
myself as small as humanly possible. I can only assume that I thought that if I
stayed still, none of the other kids would notice me and, therefore, wouldn’t
pick on me. My height made this impossible.
One of the boys on the bus asked if I was a boy or a girl.
I, of course, told him that I was a boy. At the time I didn’t realize it, but the
next move would be the beginning of my many encounters with bullies. He told me
that he thought I was a girl, because I carried my books like one. Everyone
laughed and that was all it took, I was called a fag for the first time in my
life. At the time I didn’t even know
what the word meant, let alone whether I was one or not.
I consider myself one of the lucky ones. When I look back on
that time and the events that followed over the course of the next six years, I
am oddly thankful. Without that teasing I wouldn’t be the person I am today,
nor would I have found a home in the theatre.
In the Drama Club, I found my allies, a merry band of
misfits who were all looking for some kind of escape from the cruel, unjust
world that we were forced to inhabit. In the auditorium after school, during
countless hours of rehearsal, I felt like a valued member of the team. That
feeling gave me the strength to ignore the name-calling and fight back when
pushed. I discovered who I was.
The theatre has always provided me with a sense of family.
Whether it was high school, college, or Theatre East, the people who surround
me when I am actively engaged in the art of making theatre are the best people
I know.
I think much of it has to do with the collaborative nature
of the theatre. Nothing can get done without everyone involved doing his or her
job. Success depends upon it. Even when
things don’t seem to be going well, the show, as they say, must go on, and the
players must pull together and do whatever it takes to make it happen. That
lesson may be the most valuable thing I have learned from the theatre.
I am honored to be a part of the Theatre East family, and as
part of that family, I am committed to doing whatever it takes to make it a
success. Thank you for welcoming me and above all for your continued support.
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