Since I complained about some theater-goers, I thought it was only fair to show the flip side and talk about some awesome people who see shows.
Intense fandom is an instant connection between people. When I sat on stage at Spring Awakening, I knew I was in the company of kindred spirits, people just like me. We all started chatting excitedly before even being shown our seats, gushed together about how cool it was to be on the set, shared interesting facts about the show with each other, all the while validating one another by demonstrating that we’re certainly not alone in our intense feelings for that show in particular and theater in general. There’s little in this world more nurturing and supportive than the community of musical theater junkies. When I mentioned to some fellow on-stage audience members that I’d always wanted to go to the stage door but was nervous to go by myself, they didn’t hesitate to invite me to join them at the stage door after the show. And I had no qualms about accepting their generous offer. We didn’t even know each other’s names. That’s the beauty of die-hard fans. We understand and accept each other, no questions asked. While my own mother chuckled when I told her I was driving four and a half hours to see a show I’d already seen twice, the folks on stage with me thought it was awesome, even admirable.
If only the rest of the world understood us like that – I’m talking to you, old man who hated Rent.
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