Sure, maybe you have an office job now, and you spend your evenings doing errands or hitting the bars. But back in the day, those red velvet curtains opened, the stage lights twinkled, the crowd erupted into applause and you were a magnificent star, a true talent, the envy of the student body at large. Yes, admit it, you were a theater kid.
You memorized lines during class, practiced your blocking at lunch, quoted "Rent" to a nearly unbearable degree and pronounced "actor" with a heavy emphasis on the "o." The world was your stage -- but more specifically, the local children's theater stage was your stage, and in your humble opinion, it hasn't been the same since you graduated. (Though to be honest, you never really moved on, did you?)
Behold, 25 signs you were a theater kid.
1. Your enunciation skills are unparalleled. "What a to-do to die today at a minute or two till two?"
2. You have a soft spot for men with heavy foundation. And eyeliner inside the lids!
3. You still keep a pair of character shoes in your closet. And by one pair we mean one black, one nude.
4. Few bonds of friendship can rival those of you and your counterpart. Sorry, parents. Actors are my people.
5. The secrets exchanged on cast bonding nights will never be shared. Never.
6. You were bad at math but you know exactly how many minutes there are in a year. Though, how can you measure, really?
7. You had no shame wearing curlers to school. Falsies were fun too.
8. To this day, no words bring you such excitement and joy as, "Happy Opening!" Except maybe, "The lead should have been yours."
9. No, you're not talking to yourself like a lunatic. You're practicing your lines, thank you.
10. You actually understood the jokes in Shakespeare when it came time to learn his works in English.
11. The sexual tension between you and your onstage lover was off the charts. Regardless of their sexual orientation.
12. You still have that awful recurring nightmare that you're up onstage and it's opening night and everyone is watching and you have NO IDEA what any of your lines are. Or you're naked. Naked is bad too.
13. You're still kind of mad about that time they made you be stage manager instead of giving you a part. Specifically, the lead role.
14. You're always packing tea and honey for the vocal chords. Don't forget that throat coat.
15. Having your director time you while someone undresses and redresses you was a totally normal thing. That's what nude leotards are for!
16. You still proudly rock your cast sweatshirt. Hoodies never go out of style.
17. Ponds cold cream was your BFF for taking off stage makeup. So cold, so soothing.
18. You would take temporary vows of silence. Better known to the theater community as "vocal rest."
19. You got chosen as the understudy for the lead and you secretly dreamed of making an age old theater idiom a reality. "Break a leg!"
20. You were taking dramatic selfies way before it was cool. The duck face is for n00bs.
21. There was no injustice quite like an unflattering costume. Why the shoulder pads? Why?
22. You know that theater kids and stagecraft kids can never cordially share a pizza. Or you're living in a fantasy.
23. You still check your high school theater website to see the newest show and cast list. So young, so much potential.
24. You had no concepts of the "real" social hierarchy of the school. There were leads and there were extras.
25. "There are no small parts, only small actors." JK LOL.
