E’s journey into theatre included a life-changing decision. Now a sophomore Theatre Management major at a Northeast university, he’s pursuing his greatest ambitions.
As a child, “I couldn’t tell you what my American Dream was,” he says. Raised in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses, E was expected to join the family construction business after high school and remain deeply religious. “But I couldn’t call that a dream,” he says. “It [was] more reality. I always wanted to do something different, but didn’t know what until I got into theatre.”
In high school, E joined a theatre class where he fell in love with the art form and built relationships outside of his religion. The musical show Glee solidified his vision of a life in theatre and gave him LGBTQ+ role models as he embraced his identity as a gay man.
His senior spring, E’s family discovered that he had a boyfriend and rejected the relationship.
E then found himself at a crossroads. “I could say goodbye to theatre forever…be straight, work for the business, be a Jehovah’s Witness,” he says. “Or I could leave the church and have absolutely no plans, other than being gay, and [do] theatre.”
Ultimately, E separated from the church and his family entirely, as the faith bars members from associating with those who leave. “I went from upper elite class to homeless in a couple minutes,” he says.
Newly independent, E moved in temporarily with a close friend, finished high school, studied at a local community college, and eventually transferred into his university’s theatre program.
He’s now on his way to achieving his newfound American Dream. “Casting director by day…children’s theatre company [owner] by night…Later I also want to be a theatre teacher,” he says. “Basically the next gay Lin Manuel Miranda.”
E says that he is incredibly lucky. “The American Dream is only attainable for a small percentage…based on the [situations and identities] we’re born into,” he says. Now, he says his sexuality gives him an edge in achieving his dream. “In the [theatre industry] there’s an extreme privilege in being a gay man,” he says. “I can walk into any job interview and flip a switch. I’ll say ‘yes queen, go off!’ and [straight] people eat it up.” In contrast, “the stigma towards gay women and other identities” keeps them from such opportunities, he notes.
Though he acknowledges this advantage, E also says that he wouldn’t be where he is without his own conviction to leave the church. Today, he urges others to pursue their ambitions, no matter their identity. “As long as you want it [badly] enough, you’ll get it,” he says. “And if you’re unhappy, start over!”
Today, E says he’s exactly where he needs to be. The tattoo on his right forearm summarizes his feelings. It reads, Better Off.
E is…
- 19 Years-Old
- Male, Cisgender
- White
- Agnostic
- Lower Class
- Gay
