It's kind of fitting that you wanted to try for Wizard of Oz, but first needed a "new" heart. I have been doing community theater in the Boston area for 26 years, and it honestly has saved my life on numerous occasions.
The video about your stroke was one month ago?? And now you’re doing community theater for the first time??? Austin, you’re such an inspiration and I’m so glad your recovery is going as well as it is. Break a leg!
"I had open heart surgery and then a stroke - I'm getting over it, no worries." - Some Monty Python energy with that one. Seriously though, as you point out, you are choosing what parts of your recovery we get to see but still, you seem to be doing a lot better. It's so great to see!
As the director of the community theatre I regularly work with always says "his job is to make you look good, and your job is to make each other look good" It's a team effort! If you make a mistake, the others help to cover it up. Also, even though you've gone through the scenes a million times and know exactly how it's supposed to be, the audience does not. I've got loads of stories about things that have gone wrong on stage, mostly noticed mainly by the actors, and even if the audience does notice, it's part of the charm of live theatre
Man, even knowing that you had that stroke, I see absolutely no sign of it in you anymore. Amazing recovery, and thanks to a lot of hard work on your part, I'm sure!
I grew up acting in a lot of Shakespeare plays in a middle school/high school theater group, and one year I had the part of the page from the opening of "Taming of the Shrew". The play is kind of meta in that this particular role meant I got to sit in the audience the whole time and watch the play with everyone else. So I got a great view of when Petruchio threw himself on a bench and the bench broke. It remains one of my favorite memories because my fellow actors rocked the unexpected situation -- leaning into it as if it had been planned. I always admire when actors mess up or face unexpected challenges and recover in spite of it.
Hey Austin, just want to say that in my adult life you really have become one of my biggest inspirations to always want to challenge myself, always relishing in the trying regardless of the outcome. Break a leg, I know you’ll kill it.
The first show is always the hardest and most nerve-wracking. But I found that once you are in costume it's easy to stay in character; once you hear your cue lines you can spout your own dialogue easily; once you are in amongst the other actors on stage blocking comes naturally; and the lights will mean you cannot see your audience beyond the first couple of row, so they will not distract you. The absolute best part is when you do a comedy and you can really manipulate a joke with adjusting comic timing throughout the run. You will love this, trust me. It's a thrill like no other.
My man, whatever else anyone says about your stage performance (break a leg), this one video is stupidly inspirational, and I thank you for that. Been watching you since you had subs in the 4 digit range, great to see you back at it!
Good for you! I so admire this. Took some drama classes, myself, but turns out I can't memorize pages of lines (high functioning Autistic, my mind works great, but in "another way."). My teacher loved my work in class, but she was cutting us a lot of slack on the memorization. I might have been able to do film, with cuts and retakes, but I prefer being behind the camera (was a photo journalist in state and county newspapers - even won a few awards). Turns out I'm also good at interviewing and writing (have a wall full of awards for that). And, further unnecessary storytelling here: my son took two classes of improv (and was amazing) and then went out and got A PAYING GIG in a show on a riverboat. His first acting job. Paying. I'm his parent, I know, but I think that's objectively impressive. So I am also impressed with your adventure.
Your son's story reminds me a little bit of a TH-camr named Let Me Explain Studios and how she was a theater kid as well. Except, similar to with Austin, her drama teacher mostly hated her. And when she lost out on a role that she felt she'd not only acted the best out of her class but actually also looked the part (the teacher claimed she was too tall or something), she said screw it to acting for her school and instead got roles in her community theater while still in high school. Nothing more amazing than when a songbird is able to break out of the cage and fly.
I do community theatre in my area, it's a ton of fun. And bizarrely helpful with stroke recovery for some reason. I'm sure there's some study somewhere, but something about it helps people regain language and mental clarity. My local community theatre has two members who have suffered strokes and something about learning lines and blocking was really helpful.
In 9th grade I played the same role in "Guys and Dolls." 🤓 Good on ya for grabbing your surgery/stroke recovery by the horns, and for further challenging yourself with this new endeavor. Break a (figurative) leg!
Community theatre is fun. Granted, I've only done it once, and the local community theatre I acted at (which sadly closed during covid and never reopened) was basically run entirely by an old lady and her two sisters (lovely old lady, mind you. Very good at getting the best performances from her cast). There were no workshops or call-backs, just one audition where you read lines to the director and she gives you some advice and you read some more lines and she calls you a week later to tell you what (if any) part you got. In my opinion, the funnest parts of theatre is when stuff goes wrong and you're forced to figure out how to shoehorn the important cues and dialogue into there somehow.
Welcome to the Theatre World my good man. I am a carpenter in the field and yeah, it gets stressful real quick. Glad you chose to give it a shot. I hope you continue after this venture.
Austin, you're a huge inspiration. Let me say that the trick to acting is to remember what it's like to watch a play. I catch myself rooting for the actors and even when I notice mistakes I want them to succeed and I find it endearing. If you remember that, it's less scary to get up on the stage yourself.
You're looking better with each video you shoot. I'm sure there's still some challenges we don't get to see on camera, but if I wasn't a follower who's seen that whole ordeal you been through, I'd have never guessed. At least on screen, you're back to your old self. Glad it's going well. :)
Break a leg, Austin!! I did community theater throughout middle and high school and it was such a fun and rewarding experience. It's great to see you facing your fears and trying something new. I'm sure you'll do great!
I've done several shows for Community Theater. It can be pretty fun, though the time you have to put into it is alot. I never had stage fright (for some reason) and it didn't take me a long time to get into character, but I know some people deal with those issues. Me personally I could separate myself and the character so it wasn't a big deal of diving into another persona. On stage, the lighting is such you barely can see the audience and you've gone over your lines so much at that point that it's not too bad. Plus you know the story backwards and forward at that point so if you do mess up, either you or your cast can easily recover. People going to Community Theater aren't expecting you to be the greatest in the world, so they also are pretty forgiving. Unless the whole production is crap, I think you'll be okay.
It's awesome to see you getting back into, well, living life! Community theater is fantastic and you're exactly the kind of personality that people like to work with in it. Know that no matter how unprepared you feel leading up to it, you'll feel ready after tech week. Just don't push yourself too hard and save some energy for the performance!
Hey Austin, just wanna say that the work you've put into your recovery is amazing. You've put so much work in and it shows. I would have never suspected you had a stroke if I I hadn't known already. Thank you for working as had as you do, and thank you wven more for continuing to make videos. Good luck on the up comming plays and what ever you are working on next/currently. 🤗
I love theatre and have been doing it for as long as ive been able to talk. Hearing people's story and first impressions to theatre always brings an ear to ear grin to my face, there's something so magically perfect about live, especially community, theatre. The community, family aspect of it is truly the heart of life. I'm so glad youre recovering well and doing theatre, I'd love to see you live on stage some day.
I just went to your show tonight (10/19/2024) and you were amazing! I came with my sister and you were absolutely fantastic! We were laughing the whole way through and it was a great experience. All the cast were great and you looked out the window and said "nothing" I thought I heard your voice peaking through 😅. I really appreciate getting to have seen you I have been a fan for years and actually was in your talking with strangers video. Anyways, thank you for a fabulous performance and I'm so glad you're feeling better❤
The question the whole world is wondering about Austin: WHAT WILL HE DO NEXT!!! 👀 But seriously, man, it’s great that you’re finding hobbies outside of TH-cam and I wish you all the best in your new endeavors 😊
Been a while since I heard "Dooblydoo" in the wild! DFTBA! Congrats on the show! Maybe don't break a leg, tho... you've already had a turbulent year...
I auditioned for my first play (Into the Woods) when I was 13 and got one of the leads - Jack. It was an extremely difficult musical and everyone else in the cast were adults, but they were very supportive. It was a great experience, I learned a ton, and I'm so glad I did it! If you're still on the edge about community theater, give it a try. The scariest thing that can happen is you get the role. :)
As someone who's been doing theatre professionally and otherwise for a long time, these clips looks EXTREMELY polished for comminity theatre. Usually the funds and time just aren't there. Very cool they’ve got such a strong institution there.
It's so cool to hear you getting into community theatre dude! It's such a fun and rewarding experience, I hope the season goes well! I have been part of a local community theatre in the capital of New Zealand for about a decade now, and my sister and I just directed our first children's production this year (ironically The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!). It's so crazy to think of how far we've come since we joined up, we started on stage of a kids' production and now we have directed one ourselves! I recommend trying out every role the theatre has to offer; acting, stage crew/management, lighting, sound, all of it! There's so much to learn from each role :)
My coach would leave the room during rehearsals and listen from another room, then return to let us know what he couldn't hear clearly and which parts sounded like shouting instead of speaking. I went from speaking "with marbles in my mouth" to being able to speak clearly and loud enough for the back row without shouting. Years later I made friends with a professional actor and wowow, did I see how much more it takes for Broadway.
I used to be involved in my own local community theatre, and while I have mixed feelings about my experiences during my involvement, it was/is probably the most important piece of my life during the “coming-of-age” years. I was also heavily involved in my high school’s drama department as well, and often did productions back to back! Theatre (especially live theatre, or even better IMMERSIVE theatre) is so important for a community, imho. Together we can tell beautiful stories, hear incredible music, watch the human spirit grow, and so much more. Cheers to your recovery and break a leg in this new endeavor!! Always wishing you well 😊
I'm excited for you. Doing community theater was some of the best time in my life, not to mention one of the best growing and learning opportunities. Break a leg, my good man
This is simply incredible! What healing powers reside within a human being not giving up is just outright unbelievable! So rewarding seeing you in this state now! Congrats, Austin!
I work in professional theatre (in the costume department) and this video outlines precisely everything I love about live theatre. There’s no going back :) 💖 very proud to see someone stepping into it for the first time!!
Just commenting partially for the algorithm but also to say your dedication and talent is inspirational and it's so exciting to see you trying new things and telling us about them!
Austin- long-time subscriber and community college theatre professor/director here; so grateful you decided to take the time/risk to not only dive into this but to document(ish) the process! There's so much I could say here- but I'll boil it down to this: while one of the oldest art forms (one that has been continually diminished by new competitors for people's eyes and minds over the past couple of millennia), theatre remains one of the most powerful tools for creating better human beings- in the audience, onstage and behind the scenes. As you've put across in this vid, in a culture currently dominated by our over-edited, over-analyzed and reflected upon digital reality, the analog worlds that theatre creates force us to push anxiety (constantly looking forward) and depression (constantly looking backward) aside- and simply *be in the moment*. As with life in the 'real world', once the show opens, the show *must* go on. You can't redo it, you have no time to overthink it- you simply have to accept what has happened, build off of it, and move on. Not only that- but in a deeply polarized and overtly-opinionated culture, being involved with a show forces you to collaborate and bond with folks you might not choose to otherwise. Thereby creating something bigger than yourself with people you might not share the same perspective and beliefs with. Theatre is also, by its' nature, empathy training. The actors are literally putting themselves in someone else's shoes, and the audience cannot get much out of the experience if they don't at least subconsciously connect with both the characters and the actors playing those characters. Science proves it constantly for both children and adults- all forms of 'play' are actually training for adulthood- disguised as fun. Theatre kids (no matter the age) tend to be more confident, resilient, thoughtful, patient and collaborative- and the world can definitely use more of all of that these days. The point, in the end, isn't the 'quality' of the performance or production values- it's about bringing humans together in the same space to share something with each other. So congratulations on being a small part in that- and thank you for pushing that notion forward to us here in the digital realm. Fully grown theatre kids like myself see you and appreciate you for the effort and buy-in you're giving it.
Thank you Austin, seeing your videos about your heart surgery inspired me to do better and value my time more after my own recent (thankfully not serious) ER visit, thank you friend. Love your videos man!
DAMN! You're looking so fucking healthy after so little time. I am very impressed with your strength of will. I totally understand branching out after a near miss, very normal, but your recovery is just awesome. Love it. Keep it up dude. I'm here for the ride.
I'm delighted to see how well your recovery has come along. I spent my later youth (highschool, college) and early-adulthood in community theater, though the last on-stage role I had was as a background chorus member in a production of G&S's "Patience" around 1983. I started out very awkward and shy; I credit the experience with making me more confident in my bearing and more able to speak to a large audience. In later years, I have been an on-and-off performer (amateur singer/songwriter, mostly Filk (the indigenous folk music of the Science Fiction and Fantasy fan community). On the other hand, other than 1 live stage performance at a Filk convention that I videotaped and posted on TH-cam around 2006-2008 (of which there are two versions on my "channel"), I have never gotten up the nerve to do any sort of content for TH-cam. (That performance wasn't done for TH-cam, but someone asked me to post it to showcase the sign-language interpreter who was on stage with me.) A stroke in 2017 and two rounds of chemo (2018, 2022) kind of wiped out my public performing, but I've been working on getting back to a level where I can once again successfully perform in public. It's hard, but I am determined to be worth listening to again by the end of October, and perhaps start doing concerts and open-mics again by sometime next year. At 65, it's hard to get started again, but it's something I feel I have to do.
Great to see your improvement. Have fun with the play. Having done community theatre, I can tell you that there is nothing like that applause at the end. I can see why so many professionals fall to intoxicants. Applause, in my opinion, is the most addictive thing in the world.
It's fantastic to see you recovering so well and so quickly! I realize that an incredible amount of hard work and pain has been part of the process, so I also salute you for your perseverance!
Dude, you are an absolute inspiration in so many aspects. First to me as a TH-camr, then as a knowledge seeker, now as a life enricher. I wish you absolutely nothing but the best for you and your family and I hope you have a lot of fun with your performance while still taking care of your heart.
I think you'd love the german culture of open air amateur/community theaters tbh. I've been in one of them since early childhood and besides just doing the plays, we also meet up, learn from each other and visit other nearby theaters on a regular basis (at least once a year) (besides, for most of them, entrance is free if you're part of another theater in the organization). Most of the theaters have two plays each year playing at the same time, one in the afternoons for the whole family, and one for the adults in the evenings. While it sure is stressful to work out everything during the practice period, it is always amazing when everything finally comes together smoothly. I'm not on stage myself, but do stage tech myself, everything from working on the microphones, making sure the music is on time and the recordings are done well, and of course tuning the light for the atmosphere of each individual play are a huge part that is often overlooked but generally very appreciated by the actors themselves.
I used to do community theater whenever I only had a part-time job. It's one of my favorite hobbies, but unfortunately one I haven't been able to participate in for a few years. All this to say, I HOPE YOU HAVE A BLAST DUDE!
I did a number of drama clubs up through middle school, but then dropped it to focus on other interests. I recently got cast in my college's fall semester play, and it's so good to be back on stage. Good luck, and break a leg!
I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this video so much I know Austin always has wacky stories in life and does a great job getting real with his thoughts and feelings throughout the experience (all that hard work to articulate yourself in videos pays off, trust us) but I clicked thinking this was just any other ol video But I think your passion for story telling really kicked in this video, and it reminded me of how I found your channel in the first place with your experiences making your first movie that shall not be named. I hope all the best for your performance and cast and hope that if you are able to and decide to pursue theater more you'll continue to document them for us like this as well, cheers
That's awesome! I've really enjoyed the bits of theatre I've done, even though it was also very far out of my comfort zone. Even though as you're always aiming to get everything right, something will always go wrong, but the reassuring things is that the more you act, the more comfortable and graceful you will be at working around the inevitable minor crises. Those moments of inspired and frantic problem-solving make the best stories to swap with other actors :D
As a theater kid in school right now, keep going! The point of theater is never perfection because that is never going to happen. Just keep doing what you’re doing and have fun
Theater is incredibly hard work, you're an inspiration for taking on so much. I've been involved with community theater in a few productions so I know how hard actors and crew have to work together to get everything to run smoothly. I'm overcoming some health problems right now and really beating the sh*t out of them too, and I hope you continue to have luck overcoming yours. If you're already doing this so soon after open heart surgery the sky is the limit for you.
Man, its so enjoyable watching you just enjoying life and doing random stuff. this year i got into debate sports and volleybal both never really done before and its always more fun then expected
As someone who grew up doing community theater and still does it often, it’s really nice to see people who can talk about it with respect. I feel like a lot of people act like it’s something to make fun of. But it’s honestly so great for so many people. I’ve seen it help people and save lives. And honestly, there’s sometimes some really good quality stuff out there. That is better than you would see on tour.
Next video: Austin discovers a hole in his backyard that leads to an underground indian graveyard. Coming soon: Austin is a pediatrician for a week. Shenanigans ensue.
Love this! I started doing community theatre at age 9 and still perform now in my 40’s. Local theatre is in a basement. So glad you tried something new! Best of luck and break a leg!
Congratulations! Went online to check the theater schedule and saw a ticket would be a great birthday present to myself (if I weren’t one of those awful coastal elites).
I do want it to be known Callbacks ARENT just who is the best of initial group. It usually just means that the Director liked something but wants to see if you can do something else.
Hi Austin, I think joining a community theater is a terrific idea, hopefully you'll have a blast and enjoy yourself. I've been a part of the "community theater" class my faculty had in university (Faculty of Computer Science). I'm a terrible actor and the whole casting (and acting) experience was incredibly awkward for me and I guess that's at least part of the reason I've been chosen for a small acting part each of the three semesters I've had the class - the directors considered it a comic relief. It also didn't help me with getting rid of the fear of acting live at all. But with all that being said, it was a great experience and I've gained memories for my whole life there. It also just feels great working on something together as a group. I'm pretty sure this last part will be the same for you - and hopefully you'll unlock your live acting chops and enjoy that part of the process as well!
Dude you are so amazing, going from heart surgery, to having a stroke, to now doing community theatre, man you are so awesome and thanks for the the happy times
In HS and college, I found having cues written down and then running through the speech a bunch was best for me. It was never the same, but when you know the material it's not hard to get out what you mean to say. It keeps the talk natural, but also you can hit the important things in the order you mean to. If you're bad at remembering specific figures, then just have those written too and practice knowing where they are
Good for you! You're a braver man than I am, Austin. I can recall doing some silly little plays in grade school and some reader's theater (where you have the script in front of you the whole time) in college, but getting into costume and into character and being up on stage and performing in front of actual people is way beyond me. Break a leg! I know you'll do great. Be sure and tell us how it went.
This makes me think about how stage performers didn't take film actors seriously when movies were a new thing. I imagine it's because stage performers have to juggle a bunch of things at once and get it right the first time, like you said.
Good luck on the show!! I have been wanting to try my hand at improv for a number of years now, and theater tickles my fancy in a similar way. Hard to really say what's holding me back but the thing that I tell myself (and is probably true to a large extent) is that I lack the time for it, having recently bought a house and started a family (and a new job).
![แข่งเพิ่มน้ำหนักใน 24 ชั่วโมง!! [Ver 2025]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/20xn0g6k-ec/mqdefault.jpg)
Literally impossible to guess what Austin is going to start doing next.
So true
"I became a champion fly fisher"
I bet his next upload will be a video
It's so great
I dying to see his new projects😂
It's kind of fitting that you wanted to try for Wizard of Oz, but first needed a "new" heart.
I have been doing community theater in the Boston area for 26 years, and it honestly has saved my life on numerous occasions.
The video about your stroke was one month ago?? And now you’re doing community theater for the first time??? Austin, you’re such an inspiration and I’m so glad your recovery is going as well as it is. Break a leg!
His luck is so rotten I wouldn't be too surprised if he did.
Heartily seconded.
He needs a robot leg to go with his robot heart.
"I had open heart surgery and then a stroke - I'm getting over it, no worries." - Some Monty Python energy with that one.
Seriously though, as you point out, you are choosing what parts of your recovery we get to see but still, you seem to be doing a lot better. It's so great to see!
Tis only a flesh wound!
As the director of the community theatre I regularly work with always says "his job is to make you look good, and your job is to make each other look good"
It's a team effort! If you make a mistake, the others help to cover it up.
Also, even though you've gone through the scenes a million times and know exactly how it's supposed to be, the audience does not. I've got loads of stories about things that have gone wrong on stage, mostly noticed mainly by the actors, and even if the audience does notice, it's part of the charm of live theatre
Man, even knowing that you had that stroke, I see absolutely no sign of it in you anymore. Amazing recovery, and thanks to a lot of hard work on your part, I'm sure!
@@Nvenom8. Honestly before he brought it up I was wondering if he recorded this before surgery because you cannot tell AT ALL
He can do retakes and edit. We see a 16 minute video, could've easily taken him 4-5 hours just to record
@@Zimoria oh absolutely, not denying that, just glad that he's doing well is all!
@@Zimoriatrue - still compared to that first video after…
The only thing I notice is his voice is ever-so-softer than before. It used to be a bit sharper.
So happy to see how far you've come with your recovery!
Absolutely! Hope you keep being well, Austin.
It's amazing! Wishing Austin (and everyone) good health for the future!
I grew up acting in a lot of Shakespeare plays in a middle school/high school theater group, and one year I had the part of the page from the opening of "Taming of the Shrew". The play is kind of meta in that this particular role meant I got to sit in the audience the whole time and watch the play with everyone else. So I got a great view of when Petruchio threw himself on a bench and the bench broke. It remains one of my favorite memories because my fellow actors rocked the unexpected situation -- leaning into it as if it had been planned. I always admire when actors mess up or face unexpected challenges and recover in spite of it.
Hey Austin, just want to say that in my adult life you really have become one of my biggest inspirations to always want to challenge myself, always relishing in the trying regardless of the outcome. Break a leg, I know you’ll kill it.
genuinely. if austin can keep pushing through everything, so can i. i hope he has some idea of the impact he’d had on people.
That's funny, we in Czech Republic don't say "Break a leg", we say "Zlom vaz" which means "Break a neck".
For performances in American Sign Language you say "Break Fingers"
And in Germany we say ‘Hals- und Beinbruch’ which means: ‘broken neck and leg’
The first show is always the hardest and most nerve-wracking. But I found that once you are in costume it's easy to stay in character; once you hear your cue lines you can spout your own dialogue easily; once you are in amongst the other actors on stage blocking comes naturally; and the lights will mean you cannot see your audience beyond the first couple of row, so they will not distract you. The absolute best part is when you do a comedy and you can really manipulate a joke with adjusting comic timing throughout the run. You will love this, trust me. It's a thrill like no other.
Would like a update on the Superzeroes universe to know how everything is going along
You'll have one by the end of the month!
@@austinmcconnell Great! 😃👍
My man, whatever else anyone says about your stage performance (break a leg), this one video is stupidly inspirational, and I thank you for that. Been watching you since you had subs in the 4 digit range, great to see you back at it!
Good for you! I so admire this. Took some drama classes, myself, but turns out I can't memorize pages of lines (high functioning Autistic, my mind works great, but in "another way."). My teacher loved my work in class, but she was cutting us a lot of slack on the memorization. I might have been able to do film, with cuts and retakes, but I prefer being behind the camera (was a photo journalist in state and county newspapers - even won a few awards). Turns out I'm also good at interviewing and writing (have a wall full of awards for that). And, further unnecessary storytelling here: my son took two classes of improv (and was amazing) and then went out and got A PAYING GIG in a show on a riverboat. His first acting job. Paying. I'm his parent, I know, but I think that's objectively impressive. So I am also impressed with your adventure.
Your son's story reminds me a little bit of a TH-camr named Let Me Explain Studios and how she was a theater kid as well. Except, similar to with Austin, her drama teacher mostly hated her. And when she lost out on a role that she felt she'd not only acted the best out of her class but actually also looked the part (the teacher claimed she was too tall or something), she said screw it to acting for her school and instead got roles in her community theater while still in high school. Nothing more amazing than when a songbird is able to break out of the cage and fly.
I can’t explain it but theater acting is so right for you, if you said you’ve been doing it your whole life I wouldn’t question it.
I do community theatre in my area, it's a ton of fun. And bizarrely helpful with stroke recovery for some reason. I'm sure there's some study somewhere, but something about it helps people regain language and mental clarity. My local community theatre has two members who have suffered strokes and something about learning lines and blocking was really helpful.
Bought a ticket for the 18th. Looking forward to seeing you in real life for the first time! Will be my first time attending a proper play.
Saw you in the show last night (Oct 19). I live around an hour from Springfield and go there often. You did amazing!
Austin: has a stroke
Also Austin: oh no! Anyways
In 9th grade I played the same role in "Guys and Dolls." 🤓 Good on ya for grabbing your surgery/stroke recovery by the horns, and for further challenging yourself with this new endeavor. Break a (figurative) leg!
And I'm the latest episode of, "Austin Couldn't Help Himself."
I can't get over how energetic and fun he seems.
Community theatre is fun. Granted, I've only done it once, and the local community theatre I acted at (which sadly closed during covid and never reopened) was basically run entirely by an old lady and her two sisters (lovely old lady, mind you. Very good at getting the best performances from her cast). There were no workshops or call-backs, just one audition where you read lines to the director and she gives you some advice and you read some more lines and she calls you a week later to tell you what (if any) part you got. In my opinion, the funnest parts of theatre is when stuff goes wrong and you're forced to figure out how to shoehorn the important cues and dialogue into there somehow.
Welcome to the Theatre World my good man. I am a carpenter in the field and yeah, it gets stressful real quick. Glad you chose to give it a shot. I hope you continue after this venture.
Incredibly random, but it makes sense. Good for you Austin!
Looking forward to seeing this performance, Austin! My husband and I ordered our tickets today.
Austin, you're a huge inspiration. Let me say that the trick to acting is to remember what it's like to watch a play. I catch myself rooting for the actors and even when I notice mistakes I want them to succeed and I find it endearing. If you remember that, it's less scary to get up on the stage yourself.
Great to see you back happy and healthy.
You're looking better with each video you shoot. I'm sure there's still some challenges we don't get to see on camera, but if I wasn't a follower who's seen that whole ordeal you been through, I'd have never guessed. At least on screen, you're back to your old self. Glad it's going well. :)
Break a leg, Austin!! I did community theater throughout middle and high school and it was such a fun and rewarding experience. It's great to see you facing your fears and trying something new. I'm sure you'll do great!
Very cool. Thanks for sharing your journey!
I've done several shows for Community Theater. It can be pretty fun, though the time you have to put into it is alot. I never had stage fright (for some reason) and it didn't take me a long time to get into character, but I know some people deal with those issues. Me personally I could separate myself and the character so it wasn't a big deal of diving into another persona. On stage, the lighting is such you barely can see the audience and you've gone over your lines so much at that point that it's not too bad. Plus you know the story backwards and forward at that point so if you do mess up, either you or your cast can easily recover. People going to Community Theater aren't expecting you to be the greatest in the world, so they also are pretty forgiving. Unless the whole production is crap, I think you'll be okay.
This is awesome! Definitely wish I lived closer I’d come to the show to support!
Best of luck! But please don’t actually break a leg!
It's awesome to see you getting back into, well, living life! Community theater is fantastic and you're exactly the kind of personality that people like to work with in it. Know that no matter how unprepared you feel leading up to it, you'll feel ready after tech week. Just don't push yourself too hard and save some energy for the performance!
Hey Austin, just wanna say that the work you've put into your recovery is amazing. You've put so much work in and it shows. I would have never suspected you had a stroke if I I hadn't known already. Thank you for working as had as you do, and thank you wven more for continuing to make videos. Good luck on the up comming plays and what ever you are working on next/currently. 🤗
Dude, you’re just awesome. You just went for it. Love it.
I love theatre and have been doing it for as long as ive been able to talk. Hearing people's story and first impressions to theatre always brings an ear to ear grin to my face, there's something so magically perfect about live, especially community, theatre. The community, family aspect of it is truly the heart of life. I'm so glad youre recovering well and doing theatre, I'd love to see you live on stage some day.
I bought tickets to see this weeks ago for my birthday and now I know Austin is it? I think this may be the greatest birthday present ever.
I just went to your show tonight (10/19/2024) and you were amazing! I came with my sister and you were absolutely fantastic! We were laughing the whole way through and it was a great experience. All the cast were great and you looked out the window and said "nothing" I thought I heard your voice peaking through 😅. I really appreciate getting to have seen you I have been a fan for years and actually was in your talking with strangers video. Anyways, thank you for a fabulous performance and I'm so glad you're feeling better❤
Just saw the show you were awesome my aunt is one of the other leads it was one the best shows I've seen at little theater
The question the whole world is wondering about Austin: WHAT WILL HE DO NEXT!!! 👀
But seriously, man, it’s great that you’re finding hobbies outside of TH-cam and I wish you all the best in your new endeavors 😊
Been a while since I heard "Dooblydoo" in the wild! DFTBA! Congrats on the show! Maybe don't break a leg, tho... you've already had a turbulent year...
You look so good man, holy crap. I'm happy to get more videos out of you, but don't rush yourself! That said, the recovery looks absolutely great.
I auditioned for my first play (Into the Woods) when I was 13 and got one of the leads - Jack. It was an extremely difficult musical and everyone else in the cast were adults, but they were very supportive. It was a great experience, I learned a ton, and I'm so glad I did it! If you're still on the edge about community theater, give it a try. The scariest thing that can happen is you get the role. :)
As someone who's been doing theatre professionally and otherwise for a long time, these clips looks EXTREMELY polished for comminity theatre. Usually the funds and time just aren't there. Very cool they’ve got such a strong institution there.
I've actually been in and love this adaption of Murder on the Orient Express (I played Mrs. Hubbard!)! You will do a fantastic job as Bouc!
It's so cool to hear you getting into community theatre dude! It's such a fun and rewarding experience, I hope the season goes well! I have been part of a local community theatre in the capital of New Zealand for about a decade now, and my sister and I just directed our first children's production this year (ironically The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!). It's so crazy to think of how far we've come since we joined up, we started on stage of a kids' production and now we have directed one ourselves! I recommend trying out every role the theatre has to offer; acting, stage crew/management, lighting, sound, all of it! There's so much to learn from each role :)
I also have done springfield little theatre many times and am auditio ing for a show soon
Damn dude, looking and sounding good!
Austin, I am so incredibly proud of all you are doing and you taking on this new journey! Very inspirational! Truly.
At this point, Austin's completed 90% of life's side quests.
My coach would leave the room during rehearsals and listen from another room, then return to let us know what he couldn't hear clearly and which parts sounded like shouting instead of speaking. I went from speaking "with marbles in my mouth" to being able to speak clearly and loud enough for the back row without shouting. Years later I made friends with a professional actor and wowow, did I see how much more it takes for Broadway.
I used to be involved in my own local community theatre, and while I have mixed feelings about my experiences during my involvement, it was/is probably the most important piece of my life during the “coming-of-age” years. I was also heavily involved in my high school’s drama department as well, and often did productions back to back!
Theatre (especially live theatre, or even better IMMERSIVE theatre) is so important for a community, imho. Together we can tell beautiful stories, hear incredible music, watch the human spirit grow, and so much more.
Cheers to your recovery and break a leg in this new endeavor!! Always wishing you well 😊
I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling well enough to do community theater! 🎉
I hope you enjoy it, and don’t push yourself too hard.
Schools shows are even harder- the audience is willing to be mean to you afterwords 😭😭😭
I'm excited for you. Doing community theater was some of the best time in my life, not to mention one of the best growing and learning opportunities.
Break a leg, my good man
This is simply incredible! What healing powers reside within a human being not giving up is just outright unbelievable!
So rewarding seeing you in this state now! Congrats, Austin!
I need a Catman update, even if its "I have nothing new to show"
Tune in next week!
I work in professional theatre (in the costume department) and this video outlines precisely everything I love about live theatre. There’s no going back :) 💖 very proud to see someone stepping into it for the first time!!
Just commenting partially for the algorithm but also to say your dedication and talent is inspirational and it's so exciting to see you trying new things and telling us about them!
Austin- long-time subscriber and community college theatre professor/director here; so grateful you decided to take the time/risk to not only dive into this but to document(ish) the process!
There's so much I could say here- but I'll boil it down to this: while one of the oldest art forms (one that has been continually diminished by new competitors for people's eyes and minds over the past couple of millennia), theatre remains one of the most powerful tools for creating better human beings- in the audience, onstage and behind the scenes.
As you've put across in this vid, in a culture currently dominated by our over-edited, over-analyzed and reflected upon digital reality, the analog worlds that theatre creates force us to push anxiety (constantly looking forward) and depression (constantly looking backward) aside- and simply *be in the moment*. As with life in the 'real world', once the show opens, the show *must* go on. You can't redo it, you have no time to overthink it- you simply have to accept what has happened, build off of it, and move on. Not only that- but in a deeply polarized and overtly-opinionated culture, being involved with a show forces you to collaborate and bond with folks you might not choose to otherwise. Thereby creating something bigger than yourself with people you might not share the same perspective and beliefs with.
Theatre is also, by its' nature, empathy training. The actors are literally putting themselves in someone else's shoes, and the audience cannot get much out of the experience if they don't at least subconsciously connect with both the characters and the actors playing those characters. Science proves it constantly for both children and adults- all forms of 'play' are actually training for adulthood- disguised as fun. Theatre kids (no matter the age) tend to be more confident, resilient, thoughtful, patient and collaborative- and the world can definitely use more of all of that these days. The point, in the end, isn't the 'quality' of the performance or production values- it's about bringing humans together in the same space to share something with each other. So congratulations on being a small part in that- and thank you for pushing that notion forward to us here in the digital realm. Fully grown theatre kids like myself see you and appreciate you for the effort and buy-in you're giving it.
HE'S BACK!!!! So happy to see you back with a new video! This makes me so happy!!! Love that you are jumping back into things so quickly!
Thank you Austin, seeing your videos about your heart surgery inspired me to do better and value my time more after my own recent (thankfully not serious) ER visit, thank you friend. Love your videos man!
DAMN! You're looking so fucking healthy after so little time. I am very impressed with your strength of will. I totally understand branching out after a near miss, very normal, but your recovery is just awesome. Love it. Keep it up dude. I'm here for the ride.
I'm delighted to see how well your recovery has come along.
I spent my later youth (highschool, college) and early-adulthood in community theater, though the last on-stage role I had was as a background chorus member in a production of G&S's "Patience" around 1983. I started out very awkward and shy; I credit the experience with making me more confident in my bearing and more able to speak to a large audience. In later years, I have been an on-and-off performer (amateur singer/songwriter, mostly Filk (the indigenous folk music of the Science Fiction and Fantasy fan community). On the other hand, other than 1 live stage performance at a Filk convention that I videotaped and posted on TH-cam around 2006-2008 (of which there are two versions on my "channel"), I have never gotten up the nerve to do any sort of content for TH-cam. (That performance wasn't done for TH-cam, but someone asked me to post it to showcase the sign-language interpreter who was on stage with me.)
A stroke in 2017 and two rounds of chemo (2018, 2022) kind of wiped out my public performing, but I've been working on getting back to a level where I can once again successfully perform in public. It's hard, but I am determined to be worth listening to again by the end of October, and perhaps start doing concerts and open-mics again by sometime next year. At 65, it's hard to get started again, but it's something I feel I have to do.
Yeah, that's the way to avoid stress. Do some theater.
Seriously, good luck Austin. 👍
How exciting! I hope you have a lot of fun.
Bro. The idea that you did this in the midst of your health struggle is insane
Great to see your improvement. Have fun with the play. Having done community theatre, I can tell you that there is nothing like that applause at the end. I can see why so many professionals fall to intoxicants. Applause, in my opinion, is the most addictive thing in the world.
I'm actually starring as Gonzalo in my college's production of The Tempest!! Good luck with Orient Express!
It's fantastic to see you recovering so well and so quickly! I realize that an incredible amount of hard work and pain has been part of the process, so I also salute you for your perseverance!
SLT did an amazingly scary production of Sweeney Todd back when I was living there.
Congrats! That sounds so fun. I did drama in high school and I’ve so long wished to return to that exhilarating, terrifying high.
Dude, you are an absolute inspiration in so many aspects. First to me as a TH-camr, then as a knowledge seeker, now as a life enricher. I wish you absolutely nothing but the best for you and your family and I hope you have a lot of fun with your performance while still taking care of your heart.
I think you'd love the german culture of open air amateur/community theaters tbh.
I've been in one of them since early childhood and besides just doing the plays, we also meet up, learn from each other and visit other nearby theaters on a regular basis (at least once a year) (besides, for most of them, entrance is free if you're part of another theater in the organization).
Most of the theaters have two plays each year playing at the same time, one in the afternoons for the whole family, and one for the adults in the evenings.
While it sure is stressful to work out everything during the practice period, it is always amazing when everything finally comes together smoothly. I'm not on stage myself, but do stage tech myself, everything from working on the microphones, making sure the music is on time and the recordings are done well, and of course tuning the light for the atmosphere of each individual play are a huge part that is often overlooked but generally very appreciated by the actors themselves.
This video is seriously underrated and underwatched. Most inspirational stuff I've seen in a while!
I used to do community theater whenever I only had a part-time job. It's one of my favorite hobbies, but unfortunately one I haven't been able to participate in for a few years. All this to say, I HOPE YOU HAVE A BLAST DUDE!
I did a number of drama clubs up through middle school, but then dropped it to focus on other interests. I recently got cast in my college's fall semester play, and it's so good to be back on stage. Good luck, and break a leg!
I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this video so much
I know Austin always has wacky stories in life and does a great job getting real with his thoughts and feelings throughout the experience (all that hard work to articulate yourself in videos pays off, trust us) but I clicked thinking this was just any other ol video
But I think your passion for story telling really kicked in this video, and it reminded me of how I found your channel in the first place with your experiences making your first movie that shall not be named. I hope all the best for your performance and cast and hope that if you are able to and decide to pursue theater more you'll continue to document them for us like this as well, cheers
That's awesome! I've really enjoyed the bits of theatre I've done, even though it was also very far out of my comfort zone. Even though as you're always aiming to get everything right, something will always go wrong, but the reassuring things is that the more you act, the more comfortable and graceful you will be at working around the inevitable minor crises. Those moments of inspired and frantic problem-solving make the best stories to swap with other actors :D
I'm in Springfield! Been subscribed since LG15 days. I'll come see the show!
Ohhhhh snap! Hope there are still some tix available because I'm gonna be in one of them audiences. 😊 Keep it up!
We caught the matinee from the nosebleeds on Saturday. Everyone did great! The use of mixed media backdrops for flashbacks worked really well.
As a theater kid in school right now, keep going! The point of theater is never perfection because that is never going to happen. Just keep doing what you’re doing and have fun
Theater is incredibly hard work, you're an inspiration for taking on so much. I've been involved with community theater in a few productions so I know how hard actors and crew have to work together to get everything to run smoothly. I'm overcoming some health problems right now and really beating the sh*t out of them too, and I hope you continue to have luck overcoming yours. If you're already doing this so soon after open heart surgery the sky is the limit for you.
Man, its so enjoyable watching you just enjoying life and doing random stuff. this year i got into debate sports and volleybal both never really done before and its always more fun then expected
Thank goodness you're getting better.
As someone who grew up doing community theater and still does it often, it’s really nice to see people who can talk about it with respect. I feel like a lot of people act like it’s something to make fun of. But it’s honestly so great for so many people. I’ve seen it help people and save lives. And honestly, there’s sometimes some really good quality stuff out there. That is better than you would see on tour.
Next video: Austin discovers a hole in his backyard that leads to an underground indian graveyard.
Coming soon: Austin is a pediatrician for a week. Shenanigans ensue.
Love this! I started doing community theatre at age 9 and still perform now in my 40’s. Local theatre is in a basement. So glad you tried something new! Best of luck and break a leg!
Congratulations! Went online to check the theater schedule and saw a ticket would be a great birthday present to myself (if I weren’t one of those awful coastal elites).
I do want it to be known Callbacks ARENT just who is the best of initial group. It usually just means that the Director liked something but wants to see if you can do something else.
Yay! 🎉 Super excited to see you’re feeling much better! I’m also a local, so I’ll definitely come see you at SLT!!
Congrats on getting cast Austin! I live in Springfield so I'll for sure come and see the show!
Hi Austin, I think joining a community theater is a terrific idea, hopefully you'll have a blast and enjoy yourself. I've been a part of the "community theater" class my faculty had in university (Faculty of Computer Science). I'm a terrible actor and the whole casting (and acting) experience was incredibly awkward for me and I guess that's at least part of the reason I've been chosen for a small acting part each of the three semesters I've had the class - the directors considered it a comic relief. It also didn't help me with getting rid of the fear of acting live at all. But with all that being said, it was a great experience and I've gained memories for my whole life there. It also just feels great working on something together as a group. I'm pretty sure this last part will be the same for you - and hopefully you'll unlock your live acting chops and enjoy that part of the process as well!
Dude you are so amazing, going from heart surgery, to having a stroke, to now doing community theatre, man you are so awesome and thanks for the the happy times
In HS and college, I found having cues written down and then running through the speech a bunch was best for me. It was never the same, but when you know the material it's not hard to get out what you mean to say. It keeps the talk natural, but also you can hit the important things in the order you mean to. If you're bad at remembering specific figures, then just have those written too and practice knowing where they are
Good for you! You're a braver man than I am, Austin. I can recall doing some silly little plays in grade school and some reader's theater (where you have the script in front of you the whole time) in college, but getting into costume and into character and being up on stage and performing in front of actual people is way beyond me. Break a leg! I know you'll do great. Be sure and tell us how it went.
This makes me think about how stage performers didn't take film actors seriously when movies were a new thing. I imagine it's because stage performers have to juggle a bunch of things at once and get it right the first time, like you said.
Awww, you said doobley-doo 🥰
Theatre is magical, enjoy your new journey in it!
Good luck on the show!! I have been wanting to try my hand at improv for a number of years now, and theater tickles my fancy in a similar way. Hard to really say what's holding me back but the thing that I tell myself (and is probably true to a large extent) is that I lack the time for it, having recently bought a house and started a family (and a new job).