Yes, I am an athlete, but contrary to the stereotype of being a “jock,” I happen to also love the arts. I love to appreciate theater, pottery and painting whenever I have time. However, I have personally found it near impossible to juggle my athletics and homework in a way where I can also be involved in the arts. If I suddenly had an unlimited amount of time in my day, I would, without a doubt, try Stage Crew. So when I got the opportunity to fulfill my dream of joining Stage Crew while simultaneously writing about my experience for this paper, I thought of it as a classic case of “killing two birds with one stone.”

After a long Thursday, I departed Deerprints and went to the studio theater. I was nervous, and I did not really know where I was going. I had not traversed the theater hallways at all. When I got there, I was introduced to some of the most friendly and down-to-earth people that I have ever met. While I was a little nervous to actually delve into the world of stage crew, all of my nerves were quickly shattered. Every single person I met was welcoming and genuinely interested in sharing with me why they joined stage crew and why I should join it too.

One thing that I noticed right off the bat was how “loose” everyone was. I was used to a regimented athletic environment, but here was in a different world altogether. Everyone called the teacher in charge of stage crew “Clack,” not Mr. Clack. On the other hand, one thing that I felt right at home with was the banter that took place during the actually building and striking down. People talk to each other much like how I would talk to my teammates in the locker room. It was a nice change of pace after a stressful day.

While meeting everyone was clearly a highlight for me, another was being able to summon my “inner handyman.” I was in no way born with any natural talent for doing any handy work, and if you’re ever are in need of a good laugh just watch my dad try to fix something . . . it’s pretty laughable. Yet, I didn’t feel out of place with stage crew. The stage manager, Amy Muller, assigned me and veteran crew member Amanda Barr the task of painting a fence white. At first I thought, “Wow, this is going to be boring and easy,” but boy was I wrong.

For starters, Amanda told me to go to the paint lockers and put on some of the already paint-spotted clothing. I think she said to turn left and then right and then walk straight but take a quick left. I was confused and out of my element. It took me a good four minutes to actually find the paint lockers themselves. All that was left was a medium sweatshirt. I am not a “medium” guy, but I made do. I was now ready to paint.

Focusing on the blonde wooden fence, I could not drip any paint onto the set: one careless move, and all of the hard work of the stage crew would be for nothing. I had never had to try so hard to “paint inside the lines.” The paint smelled like a mixture of Sharpie markers and gasoline. But I was relaxed and literally forgot about everything else going on in the world. I was content, and for the first time in a couple of months, I was not stressed. College applications were not on my mind, exactly what the doctor had prescribed.

I was not just sitting around the entire time; there was no shortage of work to be done. As some of us, on our hands and knees, painted the fence, others were up on ladders, putting styrofoam on huge pieces of wood and painting them, while others were using an enormous and extremely dangerous saw to cut up wood. The smell of the sawdust was prevalent all throughout the room, and I actually enjoyed it. I was not able to use the table saw, but I would definitely love to use it in the future.

While I was somewhat apprehensive to actually pursue stage crew in the first place, fearing that I would be not welcomed, I was completely wrong. I loved stage crew. I loved being able to talk about movies and life with people who genuinely cared and listened to what I had to say. Moreover, the concentration that was required in order to paint was extremely therapeutic and just being able to be a part of a niche that I had always been curious about was pretty cool. All in all, when I am finished with the college application process, you might just find me in the studio theater, on stage crew, therapeutically painting fences.