News From The Front #5 | What Graduate School is Really About.

Over the last few weeks I have been talking with some of my fellow graduate students. Graduate school is different than undergrad in lots of ways. One of the biggest ones for me is the community. For the first time you really have an exclusive academic community. A community to which you are an important member.

Anyway. One of my graduate school colleagues put up a show. I was one of three people from the graduate school community to show up to support her. I was a little troubled by this. I think it is our responsibility to show up, whenever humanly possible, to show up and support my fellow graduate students. Now admittedly, I feel this way a little selfishly. I want my graduate school colleagues to show up and support me and my work when ever I put up a show. But I also feel that it is our responsibility to do so. We are here to pursue a degree in Theater. We should be seeing as much theater as possible. It was a free show for goodness sake. But I think we have a responsibility to each other to help critique and give advice and to help each other grow as artists and people.

This past week one of my graduate friends put up a show and some of the undergrads were acting in it. I think we have even more responsibility to show up to this show. Not only was a peer directing the show but some of our students were in the show. If we are supposed to be the teachers of these students we should be taking every responsibility show up and see their work.

Not only this but I think there is an attitude that we should have as actors and directors for people who come and see our work. One of my students thanked me for seeing his work, he said, "It means a lot when my professors come to see my work." I think that's important as an artist to have that respect of our audience. We as audience should also have that respect for the performers. To show up and support their work. It's important. It meant a lot to have him tell me that it meant a lot for me to show up.

I think that's what this whole graduate school thing is about. The community. Building a better community. Support each other and support student theater. It's a good thing.