More Than Just A Dream by Adeline

More Than Just A Dream by Adeline - December 2023 Scholarship Essay

A question I find myself being asked very often recently is, “What are you majoring in when you get to college?” This simple question has haunted me for years due to the fact that my answer is not what a lot of people want to hear. Sometimes I stretch my answer to make it more appealing for people to hear. I will say that I want to be a music teacher or a choir director, but deep down I know it is a lie. Sometimes telling people I am majoring in musical theatre results in the desire to lie. They often jump to say, “Well, I sure hope you have a backup plan!” Every time that phrase is said to me it pulls at my heart and makes me doubt. Instead of being ashamed, I have learned to be proud of the major I have chosen. My entire life I have had a pull to make people feel genuine joy through performing. There are many benefits that it brings to the world that will never be replicated. Musical theatre can express feelings that would otherwise be difficult to show and it is an art that is genuinely real.
There is no doubt that artificial intelligence has begun to run its course throughout the world. There are so many videos of simulated voices singing pre-existing work, art being seemingly created out of nothing, and essays being written with just a single prompt. Technology advancing is not a bad concept on its own, but it has gotten to the point where art itself is being threatened by it. Finding genuine art is harder now than it ever has been. Real covers and vocal performances are hard to come by when there are so many fake ones readily available. This is one reason why live theatre is so important. When a person is performing on a stage, there is no way to mask it. There is no way to disguise any errors or unexpected moments. That is what makes theatre so beautiful. It is a genuine experience through and through. This form of art must stay alive for the sake of fine arts as a whole. In order to maintain the integrity of performing, theatre must remain readily available to the public. Being able to witness how the many hours of hard work put into just a couple of hours of performing pays off will always be an unforgettable experience. Musical Theatre has changed so many individuals’ lives in a world where modified art and music run rampant.
As well as being incredibly genuine, live theatre continues to represent forgotten emotions and have a deep connection with the audience watching or listening. When individuals become overwhelmed with emotion, their first instinct may be to write it down or talk to someone else about it. Those are both amazing ways to express damaging thoughts, but sometimes they just can not be described through words alone. Musical theatre provides a solution to that issue. Music itself can change people’s lives simply by existing. Music reaches parts of the brain that would not be easily accessed otherwise. Music allows people to connect with one another and the audience. An instance of this occurring in my life was with my Great Grandma. My Great Grandma was a very musically gifted woman and had practiced her whole life. She had so much drive and appreciation for music as a whole. Towards the end of her life, however, she started to lose her memory. She forgot many things, but she was still able to recall musical passages with ease. It was truly inspirational and demonstrated the utter impact music leaves on the people who indulge in it. Musical theatre takes all of those beautiful moments music itself provides and amplifies it. There are topics that many people just are not aware of that are able to be articulated beautifully in theatre. Some of these topics include the struggles of a minority through prejudice, persecution because of religious beliefs, recovering from a damaging relationship, and so much more. Putting these struggles into a performance allows it to fully resonate with the audience since they get to see it occurring right in front of them. This can absolutely change many people’s lives forever. Without musical theatre, many individuals would be missing out on life-altering stories and beautiful messages.
All in all, musical theatre is an art that should never be forgotten for the rest of history. It has left an unforgettable impact on so many people and will continue to do so for generations. It does this by resonating with audiences and showing them perspectives they may have lost. The unique medium musical theatre provides allows them to fully explain those important messages. Artificial intelligence is also becoming common, and live theatre reminds people of what true live art looks like. I know that my major may seem unimportant to most. Most look at it like it is simply a silly dream. I, however, believe that dreams and goals can be intertwined, and I know mine are. I want to be able to transform people’s lives and make them think in a different way than they were before. According to the production titled Amelie, “I might be a dreamer, but it's gotten me this far, and that is far enough for me.”