“Leah, what have your years in Detour taught you so far?”
Over my twelve years with Detour so far, I’ve come a long way from when I first started back when I was 15. I’ve learned more than I ever thought I could about theatre and what it means to be part of a professional acting troupe. I’ve also learned that being an actor takes much more than simply wanting a part badly enough and auditioning well. It takes continually improving your acting, singing, dancing, and reacting abilities and being willing enough to take suggestions, feedback, and constructive criticism from your directors, coaches, and other members of your team professionally. It takes showing integrity to everyone in your team and being responsible by taking your role seriously.
It doesn’t matter what role you get, it matters that you take the time and effort to repeatedly practice what you’ve learned on your own time and not just at rehearsals. It means showing up to each practice on time if not a few minutes early and leaving personal dramas & problems at the door; so you can come in ready to learn and work together effectively. It means owning up to mistakes you make throughout the process of putting together the show and communicating clearly with each member of your team. It also means supporting, encouraging, advocating for, and helping out the other members of your team wherever and however you can. Basically putting on audience capturing performances only works if each member of the team gives it their all and works together well.
When each member of the team genuinely cares about each other, loves each other, and supports each other, it makes it a much more enjoyable and comfortable experience for everyone involved. It also allows everyone the safe space needed to be as big, goofy, wild, & crazy as they choose to be with their portrayal of the roles they’re given. I’ve also learned that each member of the team are equally and vitally important to the show because putting together great performances is no easy task and we can’t do it alone.
I’ve also learned how to see theatre productions from different perspectives, not just through the eyes of an actor but as a critic and set/prop/costume designer as well. It helps you view and think about each of your favorite productions in a variety of different ways and makes you want to learn more about each aspect of theatre. - Leah Mapstead
