Having been in professional theatre for 46 years (since the time I was 10 years of age) and having been in the unique position of owning and serving as Producing Artistic Director of 5 professional theatre companies in the past 30+ years, I have a different perspective on theatre. 

Naturally theatre matters to me or I wouldn't have spent all these years and so much of my own money in mounting more than 125 productions. The pride felt when your entire vision for a production and your company as a whole—critically, artistically, and financially—is realized, is like no other feeling in the world.  You feel like jumping out of your skin. When actors and technicians do everything you tell them to do because you know it'll work, they bat the play out of the ballpark, and then the critics and audience prove you right, it's difficult to sit still and not shout to the rafters in utter exhilaration.

However, the older I get the more I see how dangerous theatre CAN be if not kept in check, and that there are so many things on this earth that matter a lot MORE than theatre. 

Theatre—by its very magical nature, and the adrenaline "high" that it creates when all the right elements come together and it's done right (coupled with its difficult and challenging schedules)—can be terribly addictive oftentimes resulting in not paying attention to the demanding non-theatrical realities in life (i.e., getting a decent night's sleep, eating right, taking care of yourself, earning an independent living's wage—if theatre isn't doing it for you—and paying your bills on time, giving time to and paying attention to your family and friends outside of theatre, etc.). 

As a producer and director, I've seen so many people in this field who are always "on," who never "come down," and / or who can't talk about anything other than theatre. They major in theatre in college. They eat, drink, breathe, sleep, and LIVE theatre all other times.  And when theatre dries up ... and eventually it does ... nothing much is left:  they've alienated their spouses, friends, and family members. 

A degree in theatre isn't going to guarantee a roof over your head or food in your stomach, nor will it get you cast:  no theatre that I know of requires a degree in theatre in order to be cast in a play. Colleges and theatre schools can teach acting, but NO ONE can teach talent. And NO ONE can prepare you for the heartache of hearing the word "No":  "Your play wasn't good enough," "YOU'RE not good enough", etc. And rejection in one form or another is 99% of this business, with success contingent upon 3 equal elements: 1/3rd talent, 1/3rd perseverance, and 1/3rd luck. 

Yes, theatre is great, theatre is wonderful, and theatre matters ... but as with a perfect glass of fine wine, it should be kept in moderation. It is not everything there is to be had in life. It can't buy you happiness if you're not already happy. By the very nature of plays being here today and gone tomorrow, theatre rarely brings solid, stable lifetime friendships. And most important:  theatre is not a substitute for family, for caring, or for experiencing all there is to care about and experience in the REAL world.

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