One of the most repetitive things people tell you when getting ready to enter high school is to make sure you get involved. Trust me, it’s very important. High school is what you make of it. Getting involved is crucial in the memory-making process. However, what most people don’t stress is how important it is to get involved on campus during college as well. It is important to find your people on a college campus and to find something you love to do other than school work. This blog is about my personal experience with getting involved in something I love at Cabrini.
Performing is something that has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I started dancing at the age of 2 and instantly fell in love with being on stage. As the years passed, my passion for the arts grew, and I started to take up musical theatre. It became such a huge part of my life. Not only was I doing shows at my high school, but I spent endless hours watching musicals, teaching myself songs, and memorizing entire Broadway albums. I continued this passion through high school and was lucky enough to lead 3/4 of my high school’s musicals. I played Maria in the Sound of Music, the Leading Player in Pippin, and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls and loved every single second of it. One night, after a performance of Guys and Dolls, my director pulled me aside and asked me what I was going to do with theater after I graduated. Until that point, I had never thought about it. Was I even good enough to do anything besides my annual productions at school? I was just a big fish in a small pond. I told her that.She kind of gave me a look and walked away.
When I started at Cabrini in the fall of 2019, I had no intention of auditioning for the fall play. I was scared. I didn’t even put my name on the list at the Involvement Fair. One day after a drama class, a senior theatre student (who now happens to be one of my best friends) approached me about auditioning for the show. She said she saw my Instagram, heard me mention theatre during a class ice breaker, and wanted to see if I was interested. I told her I’d think about it. That’s when it hit me: I missed being on stage.
I’m sure you can predict how this one played out. I auditioned, got cast in the play, and have been in love with Cabrini Theatre ever since. Everyone was so welcoming and made me feel like I was important. Theatre groups and drama clubs tend to have underlying toxic energy. There is nothing toxic about Cabrini Theatre. I immediately felt a sense of community. On March 14, 2020, when the world shut down and we had to say goodbye to the spring production we were diligently working on, Little Women, I was devastated. I didn’t understand how something that wonderful could be taken away like that. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was to feel that way. It was proof to all of us that Cabrini Theatre is something special.
Cabrini Theatre has not only given me amazing friends, but it’s also given me performing confidence beyond my wildest dreams. I wish I could tell 5th grade Piper that she was leading her college musicals. She dreamed of this moment but never knew it to be possible. Joining Cabrini Theatre is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I am so grateful to do what I love with such a talented, dedicated, and loving group of people. We are a family. I’ve included the “1 second a day” video that I created during our 2022 musical, Little Shop of Horrors, so you can experience our theatre fun for yourselves.
Don’t be afraid to get involved on campus! there are so many different things to get involved in here at Cabrini. The impact it makes on your experience as a student is like no other.