Learning to embody different characters also helped me understand myself better. Sometimes, stepping into someone else's shoes made exploring my emotions easier. It was like unlocking parts of myself that I hadn’t known how to access before.
Theater also gave me my voice—both literally and figuratively. I learned how to project and speak with intention, and over time, I started to carry that confidence with me offstage, too. I became more comfortable sharing my thoughts, standing up for myself, and being seen.
Being part of a cast made me feel like I belonged. The connections I built backstage—the long rehearsals, the shared nerves before a show, the inside jokes—created a sense of community that helped me open up more. I wasn’t just pretending to be someone else—I was discovering who I was, too.
Most of all, theater gave me the courage to tell my story. Whether performing a monologue or writing something of my own, I finally felt like I had something worth saying—and a way to say it.