I don’t like theatre, I despise musicals, and though I enjoy movies, I couldn’t care less about the intrinsic value of indie films. Apparently, at a renowned liberal arts school like Emerson College, that’s a problem.
The first time my friends realized I wasn’t as into art as they were, it was a shocking revelation for them (and for myself). As a teenager going to high school in Florida, we had some theatre and band kids, and while I was friends with some of them, they mostly kept to themselves. Back then, there were so many other people I had interests in common with that I didn’t really need to try to connect with my theatre friends. They had their circle of friends, and I had mine.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by people talking about their new film project, or how they were having trouble with the post-production process. Coming to Emerson pushed me out of my preconceived notion of the majority—as defined by my high school’s “normal kids”—and into the minority of people who don’t have artistic interests.
I have lived in many different countries with many different people, and I always found some way to relate to people despite our differences. Yet, for the first time in my life, I felt like a fish out of water.
The more time I spent with friends, the more out of my depth I felt. I didn’t know about films or directors or shot composition like they did, and no matter how much they tried to include me in conversations, I always ended up making things awkward—eventually fading into the background, feeling out of place.
As a child, I was always got more inspiration from the books I read than the movies I watched, and while I started out having some appreciation for the theatre, the constant insistence that I should know this director, or that actress, or the historical significance of this film, just pushed me further away from it altogether.
I figured that I couldn’t be alone in how I felt, so I started asking students around Emerson that weren’t visual media arts or theatre & performance majors. As it turns out, I was right.
Brody Caskin, a freshman journalism major who uses they/them pronouns, was originally drawn to Emerson for its journalism program and appreciates the “synergy” that exists between theatre and journalism majors. Still, at times, they continue to find it difficult to connect with other students who have a passion for the arts.
“I would say that a lot of people here have way more experience and understanding of ‘fine arts’ than I do,” said Caskin. “So when talking to my peers, it can be a little disorienting, because they’ll reference something and I’ll be like, ‘I have no clue what you’re talking about.’”
Lauren Wockenfuss, a freshman writing, literature and publishing major, says that she chose Emerson because it was one of the only schools that offered a major focused on publishing. But even with the classes she’s taken, she believes the school could do more to support majors apart from theatre and visual media arts—which, to me, seems like a majority of the students here.
“There are so many different roles in the theatre world, but to actually get one in [the WLP] major…you have to compete with some people because it’s such a smaller department,” Wockenfuss said.
Kayla Lewis, also a freshman journalism major, had a more positive view. She believes that the smaller community of the journalism department is an advantage.
“It’s a lot easier to connect with professors and your peers, rather than being in the major that has a lot more people. It could be a little bit more cliquey,” she said.
When you have a limited interest in theatre at a school that’s made for film and theatre kids, it can be hard to find a community of people who share your interests. Yet after talking with some of my peers, I realize that instead of trying to change myself, maybe I should embrace the small community of writers and journalists around me.
More often than not, I find myself leaning on the student journalists around me when I get stuck on a lede or run out of good interview questions. And although our community is small, we are mighty, and I’ve learned to appreciate that a little more.
Talking to my peers has also made me realize that even though I might not understand films or everything that goes into them like the VMA majors, it doesn’t mean I can’t form bonds with those who may not align with me perfectly. Emerson is a film school, yes, but it’s also a place to learn, to grow, and to get out of your bubble.
