I have a treasure box filled with theater playbills and ticket stubs. It’s fun to reminisce, but I don’t really need these souvenirs. I carry inside me parts of every musical I’ve ever seen. My partner and I are devoted to theater. We frequent theaters tiny and grand from local community venues to The Ahmanson in Los Angles and New York’s Lincoln Center. We laugh, we cry, we cheer, but we never leave the theater unchanged.

The Phantom of the Opera seduced us with his “Music of the Night” and Annie encouraged us that, “The sun will come out tomorrow.” We journeyed through history to stand on Golda’s Balcony, sit in Gershwin’s parlor, and come home to Native Voices at the Autry. Robert Graygrass took us Walking on Turtle Island and Robert Mirabal mesmerized us with his Music from a Painted Cave. 

We’ve taken The Grand Tour and visited the Grand Hotel. We’ve traveled east with Miss Saigon and west where it’s 110 in the Shade. We’ve heard man’s best friend Bark, frolicked with Cats, and sailed to the underworld with The Frogs. From Lizard we learned loyalty and the power of oral histories. We saw the whole “Circle of Life” unfold in The Lion King.

I felt a special kinship to Princeton of Avenue Q who asked, “What can you do with a B.A. in English?” And thanks to the hilarious Music of Musicals, I can never stroll through the vegetable aisle without humming, “Oh, what beautiful corn.” 

Theater shines a spotlight on our values and our commitments. Fiddler on the Roof taught us to respect “Tradition.” Side Show made us wonder, “Who will love me as I am?” Sadly, Stephen Sondheim reminded us that, “Sometimes people leave you halfway through the woods.” (Into the Woods).

Theater expands our worldview of history and culture. In Les Misérables, Evita and Urinetown, we bore witness to revolution and the fight for justice. In Ragtime, we encountered prejudice and passion. We learned that families come in all sizes, shapes and colors. The golden girl and the green girl taught us to question motives and to think twice before judging who was good and who was Wicked.  

Theater teaches us and touches us. The costumes, the sets, and the thrilling music add to the magic, but at the heart of the experience is the art of storytelling. Stories help us make meaning out of the challenges and choices that make up our lives.