In the “Crucible Cast Party” sketch on “Saturday Night Live,” a teen played by Aidy Bryant sings, “Grab the cutest boy and steal him away. Close and lock the door… and watch the DVD of our play!” If the sketch’s 7.3 million YouTube views are any indication, this resonated with a lot of theater kids, former and current. But what is a theater kid? Is the designation good or is it bad? And how do you turn a youthful interest into a grownup career?
This term refers to a younger person—usually a student—who is involved in theater. It has a complicated history, having been slung as an insult as often as it’s self-claimed or used in reverence. About 15 years ago, it was generally used to describe the kid in your high school who wore a “West Side Story” T-shirt every day and tried in vain to get the entire sophomore class to participate in a lunchroom flash mob of “One Day More.” Now, the moniker is used a little more kindly to describe kids who are in love with the theater, as both participant and consumer.
Characteristics of a theater kid
Involved: The most crucial element of a theater kid is that they love the theater and are usually heavily (maybe overly) invested, participating in school plays, community theater productions, and arts camps.
In the know: Theater kids also love the general theater scene as much as they love performing. They have favorite shows, favorite actors, and probably an opinion as to which cast recording of any given Stephen Sondheim show is the definitive one.
A little obsessive: One of the more negative stereotypes (though many self-proclaimed theater kids will tell you that it’s true, to an extent) is generally eating, sleeping, and breathing all things drama. Theater kids are not casual fans, and this is apparent in everything they do, whether it’s religious stage-dooring, intense competitiveness when vying for the lead in a show, or pushing and shoving for coveted “Newsies” merch at the Broadway Flea Market.
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Any working actor you name was probably a theater kid. This is often met with a certain level of revelation on the internet—to which we say, obviously. Unless actors were one of the lucky few to have a silver screen career as a child, the stage is really the only acting medium available to young people. These performers (except those who waited until adulthood to pursue the craft) were probably in their high school plays (and loving it!). Here are a few self-proclaimed theater kids of note.
Ariana Grande: Most people know that Grande was a Nickelodeon star before launching her music career, but ask any theater kid and they’ll let you know she’s one of them. At 15 years old, Grande starred in Dan Elish and Robert Horn’s “13” on Broadway, and her recent return to the musical world with her (Oscar-nominated!) portrayal of Glinda in the film adaptation of “Wicked” has her loudly re-claiming the theater kid label. When asked about the film’s impact, she told NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “I think so many new theater kids have been born, you know? And that’s such a beautiful gift because it’s such an extraordinary community and a beautiful community to grow up in. It’s a safe place. You feel less alone when you find a fellow theater kid, when you find someone who loves the same musicals as you. So it’s really moving and really special ’cause I remember what it was for me.”
Jonathan Bailey: Grande isn’t the only self-proclaimed theater kid in the star-studded cast of “Wicked.” British actor Bailey also spent a large part of his childhood onstage, starring in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “A Christmas Carol” in 1995 and, two years later, in “Les Misérables” on the West End. That said, Bailey’s very first role was similar to most of ours: He revealed to Vogue that he played a raindrop in a play about Noah’s Ark.
Lea Michele: Michele had a robust theater career as a child, starring on Broadway in supporting roles in “Les Mis,” “Ragtime,” and “Fiddler on the Roof” before originating the role of Wendla in Steven Sater’s “Spring Awakening” in 2006, at just 20 years old. It’s also impossible to talk about theater kids without bringing up Michele’s “Glee” character, Rachel Berry. She’s the definitive television portrayal of a theater kid on a show that was largely responsible for bringing them to the forefront in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Nick Jonas: Jonas has been making headlines in the theater world recently, as he’s set to return to Broadway this spring in Jason Robert Brown’s “The Last Five Years,” starring opposite Adrienne Warren. In-the-know fans will realize this is actually Jonas’ fifth Broadway role; he’s appeared in “Les Mis,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” all before his 20th birthday. “I was so, like, passionate about the thing I was doing,” Jonas said when asked by Playbill about his time as a young person in show business. “It shaped who I became as a person. I think, you know, that work ethic and just the community—I’m so grateful to, you know, Broadway and theater as a whole because it truly did shape who I became as a person.”
It’s no surprise that many theater kids want to grow up to be professional theater adults. The good news is that your early experience can make that transition easier. Here are a few factors you’ll already have going for you.
1. Use your skills.
The theater teaches us a lot: discipline, timeliness, collaboration, self-expression, and humility. Learning these skills young will only help you to be more prepared in adulthood. For what it’s worth, these traits can help you in any career you may ultimately choose, even if it’s not theatrical.
2. Continue to show up.
If you love seeing theater, never stop. Your admiration for the art form will make you a better performer. Keeping up with the latest Broadway shows, national tours, and regional performances can help you in more ways than one. Watching good performances is always educational, and knowing what is “hot” in the industry is a great way to keep an eye on trends and opportunities. Plus, how will you know if you’re right for a show if you’ve never seen it yourself?
3. Stay passionate.
While it’s natural to relax your extreme interests as you get older, staying tied to that intense love for the theater can ultimately serve you. The road to becoming a professional actor may be long, and at times you might want to lean on that passion to keep yourself motivated during periods of uncertainty or unemployment.
4. Embrace it.
There’s a lot of discourse around theater kids, but the way we see it, as long as you remain respectful, how can it be a bad thing to love something? For whatever reason, stage actors seem to be the first to be categorized as “weird” or “intense,” but obsession is a cornerstone of the artistic experience. Most people are obsessed with something, whether it’s sports, video games, or their crush of the week, celebrity or otherwise. If it’s something you love, that’ll only serve you in the end.
