As many of you may know from my past blog posts, I am involved with our school drama club and a participant in our fall drama. Since I am so passionate about drama and since we are about to start reading Shakespeare, I thought this would be a good time to comment on how important theater is.
Shakespeare is one of the most well-known authors of our time (I would say arguably, but I don't think there's really any argument about it). This just goes to show how influential Shakespeare is in society. That is a huge reason of why we teach his work (mostly his plays)- why would we teach it if it was unimportant?
One group of people who have had a huge impact on me is a theater group. For those of you who do not know Team Starkid, I highly recommend going on YouTube right now and searching for one of their musicals (links to a few of my favorites below). If you are a Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman, or Disney fan, guess what: they have a comedic musical parody for that (three for Harry Potter). They are, respectively, A Very Potter Musical (the sequels being A Very Potter Sequel and A Very Potter Senior Year), Ani: A Parody, Holy Musical B@man, and Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier. They also have some musicals that are not parodies, including one about the Oregon Trail (The Trail to Oregon), one about the dawn of time (Firebringer), and one about alien bugs on another planet (Starship).
They inspire me so much because they started this group when they were in college, back in 2009, and have since become internet famous. They also all work really hard for charity, and if I do half as much for people in my lifetime as they have done, I will be happy.
Starkid has lead to some of the greatest experiences of my life. Two years ago, I had my first live experience with them when they brought The Trail to Oregon to New York City (they are based out of Chicago). I not only met some of my idols, but I got to share an amazing experience with my fellow Starkid fanatic, Caitlin (and, you know, my sister and mom were there too). Since then, I have also attended their reunion in Michigan and and a showing of Firebringer live in Chicago. There, I met my favorite Starkid (Lauren Lopez), but also met Darren Criss (guess what-- he was also a Starkid, for those of you who know him from elsewhere).
Imagine-- without theater, none of these experiences would have been possible. Besides this, I have made amazing friendships and learned a lot about myself through our school’s drama club-- something else that would never have happened without theater. Drama club has brought out the best side of me, and has made me both a stronger speaker and a stronger person in general. So, next time you question why we read plays in school, just remember that theater can lead to unexpected experiences and amazing adventures that you would never have dreamed of!! (Also, Starkid is awesome I highly recommend them).
A Very Potter Musical:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk&list=PLC76BE906C9D83A3A
Starship:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAi0XQPgXmQ&list=PLC6A915952D67F112
How cool that you had the chance to meet some of your idols! I'm so glad that theatre has had such a profound impact on your life! ~ Mrs. Kopp
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