I too was like you on my first show, (minus the heart surgery of course) but it got better the moment I played my part without a hitch. Trust me, you want to start somewhere, then this was a good chance you grasped upon.
There aren't enough likes in the world for this. I never know what to expect from your next video, and you never disappoint. Thank you for continuing to be such a positive inspiration even during your most difficult times.
I got to see him on the last day of performances. He was amazing. His line delivery and stage presence was impeccable. I would have never known it was his first play. I also got to talk to him afterwards. He is just as nice in person as he appears.
This is one of the best things I have seen a youtuber do. Not because I love the arts but because it's not about getting more followers or money or fame but about having fun in a real way with real people and showing that is one of the best parts of life and trying out new adventures amidts life's challenges.
I've always loved acting because its one of the rare opportunities to experience the beginning and end of a life. When the show ends it is like the character dies and that has always provided me a perspective change on the life I go back to :)
what a brilliant way to describe the experience! I definitely experience a mourning period when a show closes. It's like building an intense friendship with your character over the course of weeks or months, getting to know them so deeply, and then suddenly realizing you'll never see them (or yourself as the character) again. I wish I could have a dinner party with all the characters I've played over the years!
Its odd, what brought me to the channel was the printer video, but I've found that your stuff is more enjoyable than the printer video that you are producing today, I love your content, I wish I could support it, but I hope to watch more of it!
Bro I'm in literal tears. While mine was mental and emotional, my theatre community saved my life. I'm so grateful to be a part of this beautiful art form all the way up in Plattsburgh NY!
Austin, I was so happy to meet you after the show! Thank you so much for allowing me to speak with you and for the wonderful performance. I'm so glad to see you up and moving again - it really is remarkable that you have made this much progress in this short of a time. I hope you continue on this good path with your recovery and that you have many healthy years ahead of you. You make awesome things and I hope to see more of them.
As a techie involved in both school and community theater, it's really nice to see you explore and talk about this! There's something truly magical about theater, especially on a smaller scale - the low budget adds to its charm IMO. I can't act to save my life but I've always appreciated how dedicated the actors are to their roles, and how respectful most of them (including you) are to the stage crew! I hope to hear about your theater adventures more in the future.
I’ve been a community theater performer on and off for the last 20 years. Going to that first audition is BY FAR one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. I was socially awkward and painfully shy back then, but it brought me out of my shell, and allowed me to be creative in a way I hadn’t been before. This year I was in my 40th production. I hope to do 40 more.
I was lucky enough my world dropped me into Springfield on the last day of the show run and I snuck in at the last minute. I honestly didn't know what to expect, and Austin exceeded any expetations I may have had and was equals with the rest of the cast. You COULD NOT tell this was his first theater performance. His delivery and physicality on stage gave no indication of his health issues or newness to the stage. I am grateful to have made the show and shook his hand after. Always great to cheer others on in the face of adversity. I told him in person that he wasn't done with theater, he is just getting started. Well done Austin.
Dwindling audience, my foot, dude. All that happened is that you ditched your passive audience. Everyone left here is here for you, ready to follow your awesome adventures. You are so incredibly inspiring. Do whatever you feel is right for you and I wish you and yours the absolute best.
THIS, he made videos that blew up but weren’t clearly his usual interest, tried replicating it but it only doubled down on making it clear he’s got a smaller but stronger audience
This whole arc as of late has become one of my favorite sagas that I've seen on RU-vid. Genuinely happy for you, Austin. I felt heartbreak for you, and I'm inspired by how you've bounced back. Thank you for documenting all of this.
You brought tears of joy to me Austin. I'm so glad you are out there doing this and getting better! This is amazing! I wish I could come see your play, but this made me more happy than you can imagine. God bless you and your family!
Love this video, it felt like a breath of fresh air for the channel. You seem happy! I've been performing mostly improv comedy theatre for the past few years and have nothing but respect for scripted theatre. It always felt more difficult. Would love to check out a longer recording from your show!
this is genuinely one of the best videos i've seen on youtube, becuase it perfectly encapsulates what community theatre is. i'm 16, and have been doing community theatre for the past ten years, so most of my life. and there is really nothing else i'd rather do, thank you for making this video
Austin, this is just one of the most heartfelt, beautiful love letters to community theatre I've seen in a long time. I joined my local community theatre 26 years ago, on my 30th birthday, because nothing was going on that day, I felt lost and lonely and very down on life, and meeting people who just became friends because they wanted to have a great time doing a fun show with other people who wanted to do the same literally saved me, as well. It's such an intense, wonderful, silly, amazing, artistic thing to do, and I'm so glad to see you embrace it.
The audience accepts the sets because they want to. If they weren't willing to use their imaginations to play along despite the lack of production values, they wouldn't be going to a community theater show.
Congratulations! As the saying goes, "You've come a long way, baby." I'm really impressed with how you've battled back from adversity, and rather than giving up and shrinking away because you're afraid something else bad might happen, (which is probably what I'd do) you're getting back out there. You're growing, changing, and trying new things. In a word, living. I hope you continue to try out for more theater gigs and do other interesting and fun things. I'll be here for it. BTW, I'm going to order a copy of your "Spider Queen" book as a gesture of support and solidarity. (Plus, I figure you could use a few extra bucks). Cheers!
As a self proclaimed theater nerd. I’m so glad you did this. I find theater very soothing and amazingly fun with great people. I hope you had a lot of fun with it and that you’ll Continue to do it.
I recently became an actor this year with the Charleston Light Opera Guild, in Charleston WV, and it changed my life, sometimes it’s grueling work for days on end, but when the cast is lovely, and the show is good, it doesn’t all seem that bad. We’re in our second week of beauty and the beast and every time I step out on stage I feel more alive than I ever have before. All this to say I’m happy for you Austin that you’ve joined the fold and I say you are a great actor, and implore you to continue doing shows(if you liked it haven’t finished the video yet). To anyone else in theater or aspiring to join, I say go out to your auditions, and give them hell.
I think it's because Austin doesn't have a niche he sticks to, which is honestly what I like about him. Everyone else I watch is rather predictable but it's always a surprise with Austin 😂
@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley Yep, that's what's always made Austin's videos so special. They're a box of chocolates--you never know what you're going to get, but they're all delicious treats! His sense of pacing and skill in storytelling makes every one a fantastic watch.
It's amazing that Austin recovered so quickly. Maybe half the battle is a mental one. The drive to get up and return to life. Perhaps doing theatre aided a lot in this venture.
I moved to CT 5 years ago and the community theater scene here has been the #1 reason for many of the most valuable things in my life. I have been following you for years and I am so delighted to see a video like this. It's really so wonderful how it brings such unique people together.
Woo! So proud of you, Austin! I'm a lifelong theatre kid and seeing people come to it as adults just makes my heart soar. There is absolutely no feeling in the world like doing live theatre.
As someone who community theater definitely changed my and probably saved it I’m happy you enjoyed your first show so much I hope you end up doing more shows.
Former High School Theater Kid here! Theater is absolutely life changing no matter how bit or how small the production you're in is, and I'm so happy you found your footing and got to experience it first hand during your post-stroke recovery process. While I haven't actively practiced my craft in years, it's still a core part of who I am to this day, and I hope that you've been bitten by the bug and will perform many many more times with your community theater and really develop your love for it. As someone who watches your content to hear your stories and experiences, I think it will also give you a new outlook on how you can even better hone your craft here too!
I'm so glad to see these comments about your performance, and you have perfectly summed up my thoughts, views, and experience of community theater in this video! Thank you for all you do, and I hope to get a chance to either see you on stage in future productions (if you keep doing theater) or get to work with you!
I'm so glad you gave it a shot! You did a fantastic job, I was genuinely blown away by your first performance on stage! Thanks for taking time to let me talk to you after the final show, it was great meeting you!
I’m still not over how inspiring just that clip of you jogging in the park is. Austin, you’ve always inspired me with the way you continually seek to expand your horizons, but post-stroke I’m pretty sure you’re going to be unstoppable. Thanks for being you and doing your thing and sharing your journey with us.
Atta boy! As someone who directs and occasionally acts in community theatre myself, it is just as you describe it- the ultimate analog artistic team sport. I'm constantly reminded that the analog experience that theatre gives us (wether onstage, backstage or in the house) is more important today than ever- as we bond with other humans in real space and push the digital world aside for awhile. Thanks for sharing your experience, Sir! You'll be featured in the Theatre Appreciation class I teach in coming semesters without a doubt.
Love it!! Whether it’s high school, college, or community theater, it is loads of fun!!! And if you don’t have a little bit of nerves you must be dead. Yay, Austin!! Wish I could have seen your performance!
Dude! I'm so happy for you! It's incredible how far you've come in "just three months!" I am so jealous of your community threatre, wish there were one near me.
You are looking much better. Grateful for your continued healing. Thanks for the great video and for reminding everyone about the value of community theater!
this might be my favorite video of yours yet. Great stuff, Austin! Glad you are doing better and had a great, rewarding time doing local theatre. Congrats!!
tomorrow, we open our small, local revue show. we have 4 performances across this weekend and next, and then an entire year will pass before we get to do it again. but it's so, so fun and rewarding. i'm the stage manager and the way i get to be hands-on with everything gives me so much, even if it'll never help boost my career, and even though i'm invisible to the audience. of course the applause at the end of the show where i briefly get on stage is nice, but the knowledge that i rehearse all my bits and pieces, and that i'm essential to the machine that is a theatre production, is just so amazing. i'm really happy you get to enjoy the beauty and wonder that is theatre !
i'm so proud of you, austin. you've come such a long way in a short time! congratulations on your first community theater play! i'm sure you were great!
Thanks for sharing this journey with us. Watching you continually try new things and reinvent yourself for years now has been really great to watch. Can't wait to see what you do next!
I love this. Way to go Austin. You’re killing it out there bro! I’m rooting for you. You’re still one of my favorite creators out there. Listening through the Spider Queen audio book. Really engaging storytelling.
I love how you craft a story. Great video. Congrats on getting on stage. "I chose get up." was just so freaking awesome moment. Very inspired by what you have done.
This feels really authentic and beautiful. To not do something for clout, but for the sheer love of making art with others. Thank you for sharing this.
It's only been 3 months?! Austin, this is incredible! And fantastic, as I love watching live shows. Never been in one. I am so proud of someone I have never even met!
yay. well done you Austin. I am amazed at how far you've come since your heart breaking (opps, sorry) broken heart, & worse, stroke videos which absolutely devastated me (though I'm sure only a fraction of what you & yours have gone through. you've made such amazing progress & really inspired me.
I love this. It seems like a great fit and I look forward to possibly more theatre content. I always wanted to try community theatre but there aren't any venues around me, so I'm happy to see more videos about it
I wish I lived in that part of the country where I could have come and watched your debut! You are a natural storyteller and I think that that would translate well into acting. You are so funny! Also. I was laughing out loud at your introduction and how you came to be in community theater. I love going to my local place. You have to use your imagination watching a play. I think it actually adds to the experience. Kudos to you for doing this, for stepping out of your comfort zone and for how well you are recovering! Recovering! I think that's amazing that you've come so far.
You and the actor of Hercule where the best parts of the play Austin! The friends I brought had never seen or read Orient Express so I got to see them theorize The twist and they never predicted it! Thank you for a good experience!
I've done "Community" myself, both onstage & off. It was mostly a fun experience for me. Also,since I lived in the L.A area ,u get to work w/some pro actors who just want to perform. Break a Leg ! ( & don't say the Shakespeare play "Macbeth " backstage bcuz it's bad luck; just refer to it as "The Scottish Play" . Actors tend to be a superstitious lot! 😉
I forgot you were doing this! The show I was in ran concurrently a few hours north. First for me at this theater, but I've been doing community theater for over a decade.
I saw you in your first performance! It was my first time going to a stage play. I had a great time! You're dead on about Sandy, her character was a riot!
I've always wanted to try community theater, and now maybe I will. This looks so fun! I read Patrick Stewart's memoir and it sounded to me like the most fun he ever had was always on smaller stage productions.
