A day in the life of a St. John's Theatre actor on opening night

Theatre is just like a varsity sport. I know it sounds weird, but it is. It takes just as much hard work and dedication as a sport does. The adrenaline and energy rush you get after winning a game is just the same as the feeling you get on opening night.

Theatre is a very tiring activity. After working every day, during all of spring break, we have production week. We stay after school until 9:00 pm, just rehearsing and running the show. We put so much work into our performance to make it the best it can be. But, the payoff is extremely rewarding.

Directly after school on opening night, we report to the auditorium. We spend this time before the show running scenes, cleaning up the set, and doing various jobs needed for the performance. Around 5:00 pm, we have a short dinner break and then it is time to get ready.

The show must go on at 8:00 pm. We spend around an hour getting ready, putting on costumes, doing our hair, and doing very heavy stage makeup so that we can be seen with the lights. After we have gotten ready and changed into costumes, it is time to warm up. We do vocal warm-ups in the choir room, as well as exercises to relinquish stress.

Then, as the last accessories are added and the final props are put in place, it is time for the show. The nerves start, so we do a quick shake out. The lights fade, and we take our places as the overture starts.

In theatre, every night is opening night. You are performing for a different group of people every night, making it an opening night for that audience.  

After the show, we are full of energy and adrenaline. We compliment and congratulate each other on our amazing performances. We quickly change out of our costumes and get ready to see our friends and families.

Before we leave, we have a company meeting where we get notes on the performance so that we can improve the next night. Every night is ended by the St. John’s Theatre chant: “ST. JOHN’S WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION” “AWOO, AWOO, AWOO!”