Dear Theater, I Miss You. Love, Stephen

Stephen Faulk
Apr 1, 2021
1 min read

Music and theater have always been my primary passion. After receiving a Masters Degree in Music from Georgia Southern University, I spent 8 years living in Manhattan and 2 years in Los Angeles pursuing my dream.

In addition to being a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens, I am now a Voice Teacher at The University of Utah Department of Theatre and teach private voice lessons from home. I would be lying if I didn't express that teaching music and theater has made me uneasy. Not because of the risk of infection (because I've been teaching virtually from home, and will continue doing so in the fall), but because I felt like I was leading students down a seemingly dying career path.

In April of 2020 I read an article by Matt Wolf of The New York Times that gave me some much needed encouragement.

"During Shakespeare’s time, and then again during World War II, to name two examples, they shut their doors in response to different calamities. But they reopened in due course, affirming a heartening capacity for cultural rebirth that speaks ever more urgently to us today."

As performing arts theaters are closed across the country, I continue to encourage my students to keep the faith. Theater will return, and the adversity we have faced during the pandemic will only make our performing communities stronger. Additionally, as our community continues to support movements that promote and protect civil liberties, we will overcome and return more powerful than ever.