CREDIT: DYLAN CHARETTE
Can theatre change a person?

When I was about two-year-sold, I would stand in my living room singing and dancing to the “I say a little prayer for you” scene in the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Ever since, my parents knew I would grow up to have a huge passion for the theatre. I’ve always been a performer, and grew up in a small town where I wasn’t exposed to a lot of Indigenous practices like the rest of my cousins. I turned to the theatre to express myself. I always had a hard time expressing myself because of being bullied a lot and theatre was a way for me to open up in another element.

Growing up, I have always felt a huge connection with my dad because he pushed me a lot to get involved with the theatre and never doubted any of my abilities. When I was 12, he introduced me to some of the classic musicals like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Funny Girl and West Side Story. He pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me audition for a musical called The Sweetest Girl in Town.


I got a role in the chorus, and just knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life. The following year I had my first lead role in a show where I got a chance to believe more in myself. My dad pushed me to go for it and I went for it.

By 2016, I was only exposed to small town productions, but I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to go to New York City on a school trip to see a show on Broadway and spend a few days exploring. My parents knew how much I loved theatre, so they scraped together what they had and worked hard to send me on this trip. From the very first moment I stepped foot in NYC I just knew that I wanted to make it on the big stage one day.

Theatre to me is like music to everyone else. I found with theatre that I could express myself without judgement and without fear because I could escape myself for a while and play the role of someone else. I have always struggled with anxiety and other mental health problems, but theatre was a place for escaping for a while and when performing everything felt right with the world.

In 2017 I had lost touch with myself and was struggling a lot with my mental health. I had just started the theatre program at Canadore College and being away from home for the first time was rough. But theatre was an escape for me.

Now, even though I wasn’t treated fairly at Canadore and my classmates made me feel invalid I still had an escape route. I used to sit in my dorm room and watch my favorite musicals every night as a way to unwind. We were not allowed to do any plays outside of classes our first year, so I’d perform for my roommate instead.

Through theatre I found a new group of people who understood me, and I found a group on Facebook called “All Things Broadway” full of people just like me. I was able to share my passion and love without the fear of being judged for what I like. I love a lot of musicals and plays, so I put together a list of a few that have helped me continue to get through some of my rough days.

Now the first one is not technically a Broadway musical, but it is one of my favorites. This one is called Walk the Line and is the story of Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash. This musical is one that not many people know about, but I think they should know about.

The second musical on my list is Funny Girl. Barbra Streisand is honestly a huge inspiration of mine and she has shaped the world of musical theatre in a huge way. This musical opened up so many doors for me and because of it I found one of my best friends.

My third musical that I feel like people need to watch is My Fair Lady. My Fair Lady stars Audrey Hepburn and it is such a classic. I made it through geography in grade nine because of the song “The rain in Spain.”

The last one that holds a huge place in my heart is Dear Evan Hansen. This musical is a fairly recent musical, but it is important to me because it talks about the importance of mental health. Not many musicals talk about mental health but this one does, and I feel like it is important because this issue is important. Being a person who suffers from mental health problems being able to see a musical and see characters going through what I go through, while teaching the importance of said issue helps me understand more that I am not alone.

Overall theatre has shaped my life and is something I am hugely passionate about. I have found a way to express myself and get away from the world for a bit. No matter if I am performing or just watching something, I feel content for a while.

Theatre is a way for me to feel confident without overthinking everything. Theatre has opened up so many doors and opportunities for me that I am so thankful to live in a world where we can express ourselves through the arts.