I regard the theater as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. ~ Thornton Wilder
This is a collage of the tickets to several plays I have seen over the past two semesters. I was not expecting plays or any form of theatrical/performative art to have such a significant presence in my college life. To my surprise, many of my weekends were spent attending plays with the Honors Learning Community (HLC) and my suitemate’s dance, band, and improv performances. Additionally, I would watch new shows several nights a week with my suitemates. Through these activities and events, I realized how profoundly meaningful and intrinsic the art of performance is. I learned how beneficial making connections within a work, discussing interpretations with peers, and applying concepts presented in the art to my worldview is to my overall growth as a socially aware and educated individual. Furthermore, through the arts represented in this artifact, I developed a new value that has become foremost in my worldview. This newfound value includes appreciation for theatrical/performative art and the critical depth it offers.
Before moving to Bowling Green to pursue higher education, I lived in the same tiny town for my whole childhood. While growing up in a small community sounds pleasant in theory, it immensely limited my personal growth. Much of the town was set in its ways about how to think about reality and the styles in which people should lead their lives. There wasn’t much consideration for open-mindedness, self-expression, or deeper education. Due to the stationary aspects of the community in which I was raised, I wasn’t exposed to the depth and meaningful creations the artistic side of life offered until I moved.
Even without a massive focus on the arts in my hometown community, I still enjoyed theatrical/performative art through movies and TV shows. However, a passive attitude toward thinking critically about films was instilled in me. Comments such as “It doesn’t matter, it’s just a movie,” “Just watch the show,” and “Who knows, who cares” were the usual dismissals I received in response to ideas, questions, or theories I had about the film we were watching. In a larger sense, it dismissed the creative genius and hard work that went into making these movies and films. Subconsciously, I adopted this minimizing and passive outlook on creative works not because it aligned with how I viewed art but simply because that was all I knew.
Bowling Green was a completely different setting compared to my hometown. There is such a vast art appreciation, presence, and community in BG that I didn’t have the opportunity to experience growing up. Not only is the town so full of art, but a lot of the university classes and learning communities place importance on creating, respecting, and thinking critically about the different art forms and messages that creators share with the world. This curious and admiring perspective on how art should be looked at was like seeing the world through fresh eyes. In this space, it was encouraged to think deeply about a piece of art, ask questions, challenge it, and discuss it with others. It was a starkly different atmosphere compared to my old home. Bowling Green was bright, innovative, and engaging, while my hometown was, regretfully, faded, stagnant, and superficial.
Within the new, supportive, and creative environment of BG, I was able to attend several theatrical performances and learn how to engage with them actively. The HLC and my honors classes guided students in observing and analyzing the performance’s expressive and subtle messages in an immersive and critical mindset. They taught us how to draw logical conclusions and gather evidence to support our interpretations. This incredibly engaging and appreciative attitude toward theatrical performances introduced me to a whole new way of viewing art that was both beneficial and inspiring.
Through my education at Bowling Green State University, I have had the opportunity to attend several plays live and dissect several more through their written editions. During the fall semester, I traveled with the HLC to Stratford, Canada, where we watched the productions “The Twelfth Night” and “Something Rotten” at their Shakespearean Festival. Again, I traveled with the HLC to Detroit in the spring to see “Come From Away.” It was fascinating to experience these plays in person after reading many lectures on actively engaging with what is happening on stage. In addition, it was rewarding to be able to discuss the plays with other HLC members afterward and share our insights and interpretations. This shared desire to appreciate and think critically about theatre created a sense of community that I lacked when I was younger. This art-based community was also present in my honors classes, where we spent the semester reading through several plays rather than watching them. After reading the plays, I looked forward to discussing them with my suitemates. Having the same play reading assignments allowed us to connect more as we shared our thoughts, confusions, likes, and issues over the play at hand. The critical thinking skills we learned in the classroom also brought us closer through movie nights where we watched shows together, not passively but actively, as we often shared and discussed our opinions and views on the film we were currently watching.
This artifact, although simple as it’s just a collage of tickets, beautifully represents a profound set of skills, appreciation, and community that I have gained through the value of appreciating theatrical/performative art and the critical depth it offers. These tickets don’t just confirm my attendance at a particular play at a specific time; they document the end of my old dismissive view of art and the beginning of my fresh view of creativity and its deeper meanings.
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