Have you ever wondered what it is like being the only person of color in a theater production? If so, I’m happy to set the scene. Since I was four, my theater productions have included a small group of black people. Little did I know that all of this would change when I came to Country Day.

I will never forget my first rehearsal for Chicago. I was wondering when another black person was going to walk into the room, and to my surprise, no one else showed up! Now for some of you, you might be thinking, why is this such a big deal? Imagine that you are going out of your comfort zone, expecting other people from your community to show up, but in the end you are the only person that participated. You would feel a little weird right? I know I did. It was the first time in my entire life where I had been the only black person. I have always been surrounded by the majority of white people, few people of color, and a small group of black people.

Although I felt alone at times and wondered if it was even worth it staying in the musical, in  the end, I’m glad I challenged myself and persisted. I put on a great show, and at the same time represented my community in a positive light. I quickly learned that not having a black presence around me was ok, and that just me being there was more than enough.

People of color may experience many situations in their lives where they will be the only person of their race, and although it may at first be scary, don’t let this stop you from being successful. If you find yourself in a situation like this, repeat to yourself: “I may be the only person here, but I belong here”. During my two years at Country Day, I’ve adopted this as my personal mantra and have used it for the productions that I have been a part of.  In the future, it would be great to see more roles that are inclusive for black people. At the end of the day, life is a stage, now break a leg and take a bow!