Sound Off! with Karina Bielecki

 

I can tell that what they really mean is, “Why would you major in theatre? Do you want to live in a box? You must be such a disappointment to your parents.”

 Alright, perhaps I’m being paranoid, and that’s not what everyone who asks me that question really means. Still, I encounter plenty of people who feel that because I don’t stay up all night memorizing molecular structures or writing essays about Bismarck’s influence on European politics, my chosen academic discipline is somehow easier or lesser than  biology or political science or any other “employable” major.

For those of you who feel this way, let me set the record straight. No, you won’t find me up until 1 a.m. in a chemistry lab. But you will find me awake at 1 a.m. with a script in my hand, plowing my way through an ancient Greek play, trying to make sense of what the Chorus is saying and who murdered whose sons. You’ll find me in the communication/theatre lounge, talking with my fellow students about what Kim Harris means by “it needs more levels,” and how to make it appear as though a man can make tea pour from his hand onstage. You’ll find me in the light-and-sound booth, or perhaps up on the catwalk, battling my fear of heights just so that I can shine a spotlight onto the stage at the perfect angle. You’ll find me in the theater for eight hours a day, because we’re a week from opening and everyone’s working to make the show the best that it can be. You’ll find me on opening night, getting into costume and makeup amidst a flutter of nerves. You’ll find me at strike after the last show, dismantling the set and preserving memories of a great show before I get ready to do it all over again. Theatre is just as difficult and time-consuming a major as any other.

As for the worth of my major, well, no, I admit I won’t be curing diseases or brokering world peace when I leave William Jewell. However, I do believe theatre, in its own special way, contributes so much to the world. Every day, theatre examines the human condition: the conflicts, the problems, the anger, the pain, as well as the hope, the joy, the love and the triumph. Our fall production, for example, is A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt. It tells the story of Sir Thomas More, chancellor of England, and his conflict with Henry VIII over England’s split from the Catholic Church.

If you know anything about Thomas More, you know his story doesn’t have a happy ending. This play chronicles More’s struggle as he cleaves to his conscience in the face of power, temptation and social exclusion. Plays such A Man for All Seasons have a powerful ability to affect people, to make them think about moral truths and obligations they might not otherwise. Consider other plays over the course of theatre’s long history that have broken down social barriers, spoken out against tyrannical power and done much more than simply entertain us. That’s why I believe theatre is worth all the time and effort I and so many others put into it.

So perhaps the next time someone asks me what I want to do with my theatre degree once I graduate, I’ll tell them, “I want to change the world.

”But I’ll settle for anything that pays the rent.

Karina Bielecki can be reached
at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.