Theatre Goes To The Gym

Theatre Goes To The Gym

by Andrew MacDonald-Smith

Introduction

It's not just a cliche that theatre is like the gym. In fact, the two have more in common than you might think. There are many ways in which theatre is like working out at the gym, and if you're already a theatergoer, chances are you've seen these similarities yourself. Here are just a few of them:

How Theatre Is Like The Gym

You go to the gym, share space with mostly strangers who are there for the same reason. They're sweating, they're grunting; you're sweating, you’re grunting. A communal experience, but it was all yours alone.

That's what theatre is: a place where everyone can experience something together but still be totally alone in their own way at the same time. Everyone gets out of theatre what they put into it—whether they loved or hated it; whether they came away feeling energized or drained; whether they left thinking "I've changed" or "I'm still me."

Both the gym and theatre are places where we go in order to test our limits—to see what we can do without breaking down under pressure, without giving up on ourselves when things get tough (or even just boring).

Theatre Is A Risk

Many might be thinking that theatre is like a gym in the sense that it's not a place you’d choose to go, but rather attend out of obligation, at best. You hear stories about how amazing a show turned out to be, but when you go see it for yourself, it may not be what you were expecting at all. Sometimes investing thousands of dollars on tickets and travel arrangements only to find out that the play, in fact, sucks. This happens often enough that most no longer feel comfortable recommending any show without first reviewing its production history or doing some research into whether or not other people have enjoyed it before themselves (and even then we’re still cautious).

Theatre can be scary because there's always a chance that your favorite play will turn out disappointing; however if we don't take risks then we'll never get anywhere in life! Theatre and the gym, are investments. It's important to keep trying new things even if they seem scary because those are usually where most of the best experiences come from anyway!

No One Regrets Going To The Gym

No one ever regrets going to the gym. Even if you're not a fan of exercise, once you push yourself through your first few workouts and see the results, you're hooked. As soon as your body starts looking more sculpted and fit, it's easy to get motivated by what's possible if you keep trying.

The same principle applies for theatre: You may not know exactly how much fun it will be ahead of time—and maybe even after seeing a show you don't like—but eventually one sticks with you long enough that it becomes something important in your life. Theatre can give you an opportunity to build your emotional strength and flexibility.

Theatre Compels Empathy

You’re not going to be able to have empathy if you don’t spend time in the world. You can read about it, watch movies and TV shows about it, but until you experience another person’s struggle firsthand (or at least see them go through their struggle onstage), your understanding of their experience is only theoretical. Theatre gives us all this opportunity—to learn what it feels like to be someone else.

And that’s important because empathy is good for society: people who are empathetic tend to be better friends and coworkers; they make better decisions; they live longer lives; they raise healthier kids; etc., etc., etc. And this goes for all art forms—not just theatre!—but theatre does have some unique qualities that can help us develop our capacity for compassion

Theatre is good for you.

There are many benefits to being a theatre-goer. The first, and most obvious, is that you get to escape winter, your job, or your troubles.

Second, theatre can help you better understand the world around you. Theatre artists often explore issues of social importance through their work, which can be a great way for us all to learn more about things we may not know or understand as much about otherwise. Theatre can also make you laugh and leave the heavy world behind for a glorious few hours

It gives one an opportunity to meet new people and make friends with people from different backgrounds than themselves! It's true: some of my best friends have come from attending plays together with them!

Conclusion

I hope this post has helped you see how theatre is like the gym — or, at least, how it can be. If you’ve never been to the theatre before, my advice would be to give it a try, and join Teatro for a production! You might find yourself having fun and learning something new about your own humanity while doing so. After all, we all need exercise now and then—even if it’s just mental.