College Student Finds Applicable Life Lessons in Favorite Works

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Applying Favorite Theatrical Messages to the College Experience

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My favorite and least favorite things about theatre are how ephemeral it is. There is something so beyond special about the way a performance is so in the moment and can never be exactly replicated, but there are at the same time so many nights at the theatre that I would do anything to be able to revisit. I love the way that everyone in a theatre has to be together as one for a brief couple of hours, in the moment, away from technology, focused on the art being made. I think that part of the reason I connect so deeply with theatre as an art form is how I don’t just connect to the performers on stage but also my fellow audience members, strangers, who happened to end up in the same room at the same time. Sometimes I even find myself wrapped up in what productions I wish I had the chance to see, and sometimes even slip into slight anger that I wasn’t alive in an era where such excellent art was being made. The way theatre cycles and shows come and go, makes it unlike any other art form.

However, as brief and in the moment as theatre may seem, there are parts of it that last and stay with an audience long after the curtain closes. One of these things is the lessons written into shows that are oftentimes the motivation for the writer, and the heart of the characters and story. I firmly believe that there is always something to take away from even one’s least favorite works, whether it be an artistic element that worked well, a character trait that one hopes to emulate, or a lesson that one hopes to implement into their life.

In all of my favorite works, I think that the lessons presented are unique and widely applicable, especially in college. I believe there is so much importance to the messages that some of my favorite stories present. All in all, they don’t just speak to the pieces within which they are articulated, but rather the broader importance of theatre in general and how it can impact people.

As cringeworthy and sentimental as it may seem, this famous lyric and lesson from Jonathan Larson ’s rock musical, Rent , still resonates so many years after the show was created. Oftentimes, especially in college, it can be so easy to forget to live in the moment and be grateful for the now. With the seemingly constant stressors of exams, studying, internships, and trying to balance all of the complicated elements of a college social and academic life, it can be so simple to want time to just move faster. However, as this show demonstrates, there is nothing quite like the present, and as so many of my mentors and friends have told me for many years, there really is nothing like the present, and one day you’ll look back and wish you had appreciated your time in college more if you don’t make the most of it. Even in the hardest of times, where it feels like everything keeps compounding and crushing you, taking a moment to breathe and ground yourself is always beneficial.

Although Suffs is not set in the modern era, the show has so many values and messages that still apply today, as it discusses feminism and the fight for equality for all. At the core of this piece is the finale number, “Keep marching,” a song and message that encapsulates the fight of the women within the show and speaks to a modern audience, telling them to keep fighting and pushing for what is right and what they believe in, even in the face of systemic oppression and corruption. This show highlights so many historical women and through pushing this message, to keep marching on, inspires so many to take control and speak out. In growing up and going to college, becoming an adult, this speaks to me so deeply because the idea that you may not live to see the change you are pushing for, yet should fight and march anyway, feels so relevant to going into the professional world, especially in terms of how in wanting to make a difference in any industry, you have to understand that you might not see it fully realized, and that it takes so many people and so much time for things to truly change for the better. In remembering to keep marching, we can remember to never give up on the things we believe in, and always remember that there are so many people in the past and present lifting us up.

One of this season’s new musicals, Cinco Paul ’s Schmigadoon! teaches audiences that there is always time and space to change and become a better person and version of yourself. It can feel like there are so many pressures on us in college, and as we grow to become the best version of ourselves instantaneously upon becoming an adult, this show is an excellent reminder that it is never too late to grow and better yourself. It also reminds us that there will always be people to uplift and support us through all of the ups and downs, and that we have time, which, similarly to the first segment here, is something that can be hard to remember. Even within the college sphere, you don’t have to build exactly who you are as a student and person during your first year or few months, and this is a great reminder that you can always become who you ultimately want to be. There isn’t one timeline for everyone; change is personal and on one’s own time.

Another historical work, Ragtime, rings even truer now than it did even just a decade ago, and in telling people to fight oppression, similarly to Suffs , it shows that America runs on dreams and passion, and there is nothing more important than fighting for your values and putting love and goodness above what is bad about the world. Coming of age and growing into yourself also comes with finding your own values and truths and deciding what matters to you and how you should vocalize that. This show demonstrates that there is both so much vulnerability and so much power in saying what others are afraid to, demonstrating how even in tragedy, there can still be hope for a better future, even if it sometimes seems that that hope is dwindling. Going into the world, it is always essential to keep hopeful for the impact you may be able to make with your words and knowledge.

Finally, this season’s hit musical The Lost Boys reminds us that family, both immediate and found family, will always be there to support each other. It is easy to feel lonely as a college student or get homesick, missing those who love and support us. However, one of the things that keeps me feeling grounded and connected is my family, and calling them. Although there is so much change in growing up and getting a college education, not everything has to change, and that includes our relationships with those close to us, which this show emphasizes and allows us to consider.

There is so much that we can gain from works of art that others have poured their hearts and souls into, and drawing inspiration from this work can help, especially in stressful times and uncertain ones, like college, when it can be easy to become overwhelmed and lose sight of what is truly important. Theatre speaks to people like me by allowing us to see ourselves in the work, and all of these pieces are perfect examples of how theatre’s true meaning comes from connecting with people and making them feel understood.

Writing is so much more than expressing ideas on a page, and if done with sincerity, it can take a surprisingly long time–that may be my biggest takeaway from my first attempt at blogging.

Being a theater lighting student is hard to explain to family and friends who haven’t gone through the same version of finals as you have. No grandma, I don’t have a math test. Yes, I have load-in from 9am-6pm.

From 2025-2026, I was a BFA Musical Theatre major at a college. My whole life that is what I thought I wanted. I wasn’t necessarily wrong, I am just pivoting slightly.

I have been writing student blogs for BroadwayWorld for 6 months now. I feel very blessed to have been able to write for a website I love and respect so much talking about the thing I love most in the world, performing.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Student-Blog-Messages-and-Meanings-from-Favorite-Works-Through-a-College-Lens-20260529)._