How To Join A Community Theatre

By: STO Folarin Oyeleye, Foster High School, Troupe 7961

You there! Yes, you. You seem like quite the theatrical nerd— and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Whether you’re already involved in theatre at your school, or just looking for an excuse to leave the house, joining your local theatre has many benefits worth reaping. For our seasoned thespians it allows you a new environment to sharpen your skills, and for our soon to be brethren…it’ll give you something fun to do! So just listen, or rather read the handy instructions I’ve got for you. How to join a community theatre the Folarin way...which is basically the same as all the others.

Step 1- Gather Intel

 Before we can join a troupe you have to look for one first. There are a few ways to handle this approach. If you do theatre at school, a good way to find some information would be by asking your directors for help. If you’re really lucky they might even be able to hook you up with an audition. My reasoning behind this? My reasoning is, high school directors seem to have an array of connections. However, if you’re not that lucky they might just look on google for you. Actually, that helps segue into my other method: Google! Just type in Community Theatre near me and the internet will give you plenty of options to choose from. Now all you need to do is speak to whichever place you chose and acquire the necessary information

Step 2- Audition!

Wow, congrats to you for landing an audition. Now you just have to nail it. What you can expect in a regular audition is to perform a monologue or song you had prepped or even just a few cold and chemistry reads. If you want to learn more about monologues and cold reads there are plenty of “How To…” videos on youtube worth watching. On the off chance that maybe acting isn’t your thing you can always try your hand at being a techie. The auditions might be different and will likely include you just answering a few questions so that they place you where they see fit. However, you don’t have to worry because there will always be people willing to help you learn.

Step 3- It’s Showtime 

Well, now you just have to perform! You’ve spent many hours rehearsing, and you’ll never get that time back so you might as well go all out. Whether you’re helping out backstage or acting, all you’ve got to do now is live in the moment and have fun. Make it an experience worth remembering.

Curtain Call

That’s been my easy peasy three step guide on how to join a community theatre. Hope y’all enjoyed it, but I hope you enjoy the feeling of being a thespian even more! And hey, who knows, maybe you might even invest in your future Broadway career because of this. Just make sure when that happens you remember your old pal, Fo.


Till next time,
Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers