Theatre is like life

As part of my porfolio for my senior project, I have to write a reflection on what theatre is. I was kind of intimidated by this, because theatre covers a broad spectrum of things. But basically the conclusion I came to was that theatre is like life.

I'll explain.

Example one: we are in control and in no control at the same time. We can control our actions, our words, the decisions we make from day to day. But ultimately, we are not in control. God is in control of our lives. In theatre, as a director, you can control almost everything that happens; you can control which actors to cast, you can shape their performance and interpretation of their character, you can control the blocking, you can even control the tech elements to some extent. But once the performance starts, you are NOT in control. What happens onstage is no longer under your power. I realize that this analogy breaks down if you analyze it too much, but that's true for all analogies.

Example two: In theatre, everyone is interdependent. It is a collaborative effort, and each person must do their part well for the whole to be successful. It's the same with life. Life is a collaborative effort. You can't just go through life alone and a hermit. As humans, we are made to need each other, and consequently we are interdependent.

This is why I think theatre is immensely important. It has so many lessons to teach us.