My father has often told me how he didn’t think of being a musician as “going to work,” but rather how he was able “to play.” It’s a shame how many people only think of the arts as a hobby, just because our view of a career is so full of mundanity that enjoying what you do is seen as a free time activity. Collaboration in my intended field means turning coworkers into friends. There is a level of intimacy that actors share when performing together, as much as we think of acting as simply “being someone else.” Character work brings forth different aspects of people that bring forth a vulnerability that requires a judgment free zone. With all members sharing their talents and working together to put on a production, there’s no way anyone would leave a production as strangers. As we build each other up, there’s also the risk of bringing each other down, as the teamwork of a production is so crucial that one unaware person may alter the final outcome. It’s important however to acknowledge that anyone is capable of making a mistake, and rather than scolding, our focus should be on helping one another to be the strongest we can be. My most recent production has probably had me at my most socially involved. In the one before this one, I wasn’t in the social circle of the theater students, and hadn’t really developed strong friendships with the cast. Everyone still treated me nice and we had an award-winning performance, so while I wasn’t that close, collaboration was still very present. Now, as a freshman musical theater major, I find that being in with so many new faces has allowed me to be on the same social level as the others. Thanks to the upperclassmen, who insisted on us getting to spend time together outside of rehearsal, we were able to feel no shame in asking for help for songs, dances, acting choices, and even homework for other classes. This particular production was also student directed, so it was fun to get to learn from my peers, rather than adults I wasn’t adjusted to yet. As the Spring auditions are starting to come, I am very much looking forward to getting to work with old and new colleagues as we set forth on working together for a new story to tell. Looks like I’m going to be making a lot of friends out of strangers these coming years!