Garrushad that eureka moment,you could see the joy in his face. Hewas really starting to piece everything together.

It was getting late and I wanted to get home but Garrus had one final question. He asked me why? Why do we dotheatre? I answered this question in three parts.First as an audience member,second as a performer and lastly other points that do not fit the theme of thefirst two categories. Livingin a city like New York,there is a plethora of activates that one can take part in.

So why would I choose the theatre?It’s expensive, andpotentially may be a waste of my time.But, there is somethingspecial about watching actors and actresses perform in front of you. Seeing them take on a role of adifferent person always fascinated me.People have a hard time trying to understand themselves but these performersare understanding and portraying a completely different person. The theatre is a different form ofentertainment,it is more lavish and grand.Going to a play,especially a Broadway play feel more like a special event. There is a unique excitement thatother forms of entertainment just do not possess. Afterwatching each play,I wanted to share this experience.

Telling my friends, “we need to go and watch this”. Lastly,theatre is one of the more engaging forms of entertainment. It is not passive like a movie, there is a true sense that you are participatingin the spectacle.Forthe actors,it is hard to say.I am not one and I’m sure they each have their own reasons that drive them toperform.

But I do have one experience performing.In fifth grade,I was chosen to be Joseph in a recreation of the nativity scene for myelementary school’s Christmas Concert.I needed to memorize three paragraphs worth of lines.

This was the first time I had everdone something like this and I dreaded every rehearsal, begging for them to conclude quickly. But slowly I fell into the role, as the lines became second nature tome. Each rehearsal I gotmore and more confident and even started asking for extras from our teacher tomake the performance even better. Ibelieve when an entire audience is focusing on you, your movements, your words it is both terrifying andempowering.You can make or break the entire performance in one moment.

I assume this is what other actorsand actresses feel when they are on stage. SinceI have very limited experience being on the other side of the stage, I lookedfor articles that described why we do theatre. I think it is important thatGarrus has expert answers to this extremely important question. These pointswere brought up by Howard Shalwitz, a director at the Wooly Mammoth TheatreCompany. Theatre brings us together, “in an age when most of our communication happens in front ofa screen, I think that this gathering function of theatre is, in and of itself,something that matters.” Going to the theatre makes us more well-rounded human beings”Watching the characters talk back and forthin the theatre is tricky; it requires sharp attention, quick mental shifts, andnimble language skills.” Lastly, the theater canbe used to make a political statement or criticize a certain practice.

It givesdirectors, producers and/or actors a platform to make commentary on currentissues. “it influences the way we think and feel aboutour own lives and encourages us to take a hard look at ourselves, our values,and our behavior.”1Garrusseemed very satisfied with the answer. I was less than confident but thought Idid a good job. He wrote very detailed notes, including some Venn diagrams. Ilooked at my phone it was nearly 12:30 PM.

Garrus and I left the room we rented,returned the key, and left Baruch. We walked down East 23rd Streetto the R and W station near Madison Park. This is where Garrus and I went our separateways. He did not want to show me his spacecraft, which is a bit unreasonable. Istayed an extra four hours at school to help him understand what happened thissemester and I can’t even get a glimpse of his ship.

Very disappointing.However, it was still a unique experience. How many people not working at Area51 can say they interacted with an alien life form?