I started a journal of theatre stuff

From a theatre student, sharing her thoughts on plays she’s reading.

Hello there!

I’m A.X. — a theatre student who has set a goal of reading one play each week. And I started a new publication—theatre stuff.

Theatre has always been a significant part of my life: from acting in Shakespeare plays to playing the lead role in my school’s musical, and taking all of the theatre classes I could in and outside of school. It makes me come alive because of my passion for performing and the transcending emotional experience I get when I’m acting onstage.

But theatre is not merely a performance.

The reason I began writing was really because of theatre. There was once a time when I dreaded writing:

It’s true. This was until I entered my junior year of high school. After studying Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story and a Chinese translated version of Death of a Salesman for my language courses, I found a new interest in dramatic literature as I began to discover facets of the human experience that plays can explore.

My dread turned into inspiration. Apprehensive in doing so because of my lack of experience, I wanted to create thought-provoking writings of my own.

Thus, I began brainstorming and working on new plays. I also started writing online as a way to practice my writing skills and to express my ideas with others.

Anyway, a few years later and here I am—a soon-to-be college student. And yes, I’m majoring in theatre. (Are we surprised?)

Whether it’s an Oscar Wilde comedy like Lady Windermere’s Fan (still one of my favorites, by the way) or a tragedy such as Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman — reading and watching plays have always been an eye-opening experience for me, revealing the nature of people and society.

As I’m about to enter college in the Fall of 2022, I realized that I need to step up my game. How will I do that? Well, by reading at least one play per week.

Maybe that does not seem like much (or maybe it does, I guess it’s subjective to each individual), but as someone who gets easily caught up in the whirlwind of life, it’s difficult to find the time to simply sit down and read.

(I’m also quite a forgetful person and find it difficult to start new things, like TV shows or books—I’m not the only one who has this problem, right?)

This is where theatre stuff comes in:

I started this publication as a reminder for myself (& others) to read and engage more with dramatic literature, as well as to keep up with the theatre industry and discuss important or interesting topics—news, tips, stories and more.

Also, I think it will be pretty cool to document my theatrical journey—for myself to look back on in the future, and for others (perhaps also a student or someone trying to pursue this as a career) who might find my thoughts and experiences helpful.

Whether you’re a professional who works in the industry or just someone who loves theatre and the performing arts, I welcome you to follow and join me as I share my thoughts on plays I’m reading & other theatre stuff, too!

Theatre can teach us many lessons about life, and it prompts us to reflect on ourselves and the world around us — this is where I am able to share these lessons and reflections with you, and even introduce you to some interesting plays that perhaps you haven’t previously heard of.

There is so much we can learn, and I hope you will feel entertained while also finding something meaningful from theatre stuff.

Feel free to leave a comment on any articles if you have any questions/feedback or topics you want me to discuss.

Thanks for reading :)

— A.X.