The Comfort of Theatre

Allie
Mar 7, 2017
2 min read

Dear you,

Let me tell you a story.

To me, theatre is home. I feel safe. I feel good. I feel full of hope. Experiencing it, as a theatregoer and as a theatre maker is always an uplifting, inspiring, heart-warming beautiful experience. The art of theatre is the most powerful source of light I know, the only one that can actually break through the darkness that too often paralyses me.

It makes me curious to keep seeking for beauty, art and magic. It is a lifesaver. It is a place where I can be myself while I step into someone else’s skin, while I create something that is going to mean something to a friend, a sibling, a stranger.

The way theatre is able to bring me on cloud nine while I feel like there’s no other place for me if not the floor of my bedroom is so intense that I decided to wonder if it is just me or if it works like a shelter for other people too.

Can theatre bring comfort to the victims of social harassment? Can people who have felt rejected, humiliated, out of place because of their sexuality, their race, their disabilities, their way to be who they are, find in theatre the place where they belong?

I decided to write an article on this topic, featuring theatre-makers from different backgrounds and communities to find out.

If you’re reading this and you feel like you’ve a story to tell, please contact me at this email bertoccoalessandra@gmail.com or find me on Twitter @allietheitrovert.

I want to hear your voice.

This project is supported by the University of Westminster (Creative Writing and English Literature Department, London).

“Theatre is a place where every race, creed, sexuality, and gender is equal, is embraced, and is loved”

- James Corden, Tony Awards 2016