Transitioning to College Theatre

by Ritika Kommareddi

In high school, it was pretty easy to predict who would get what role in the shows. In fact, no one was ever cut. So, you could imagine how freaked out I was that I had the opportunity to audition for this show, a show that was the closest to professional that I had ever gotten.


My audition was full of nerves and hurried monologues. I expected absolutely nothing, and when my friend told me that she had gotten a callback and I hadn’t, I settled down for the night and decided to spend it watching The Office… until I learned that I actually had gotten called back.


I walked out of my callback smiling - not because I thought I had landed a role, but because I was back in the theatre. It had been at least 6 months since I had gotten to act with a script, and because I was in a production of Midsummer in high school, the text gave me a sense of comfort and nostalgia. Callbacks was the first time I thought I had found a home at Hopkins; I knew that no matter where I’d go for college, theatre would always be there. I’d always get to escape from reality for a little while; in theatre, I can simply feel and react, and not have to deal with any of the societal norms that influence how I, Ritika, live my life, because for those few hours onstage, I’m not Ritika anymore.


In essence, that’s who my character in Midsummer is - a fairy, who acts as soon as I am presented with a stimulus. I don’t have to think. When Bottom enters my world, my world has immediately shifted. I don’t have to ponder about whether an ass-man is going to impact my life; as a fairy, any deviation from the norm sets my life off-balance, and just like that, I have to make it work. 


Now for my thoughts: I’m thrilled beyond words to work with such talented people; knowing that I’ll be able to create memories of performing onstage with them feels so rewarding. This experience is nothing like what I’ve done in the past, and that alone excites me more and more as the show days draw closer and closer.