The insider behind the stage

Emma Gibson 20’ recalls her memories as a young girl growing up, learning from her many experiences and handling with her own interpersonal struggles.

She watches from behind the set of the stage, glancing quickly at the actors bowing as the crowd goes wild. Emma Gibson ’20 gets rid of the scenery as the person beside her slowly dims the lights. A faint buzz can be heard from the audience, recalling their favorite parts of the play. Gibson sighs with relief; the backstage set worked hard to set the lights at exactly the right time and place, to call the curtains, and to encourage and praise the actors who have worked hard to put on the astounding play that they put on at every rehearsal. This is what Gibson does every week as a part of the prep crew during theater productions.

¨Being apart of prop is the most fun, but important part,¨ Gibson said. Emma continues to say how theater feels like her second home. “Everybody there is so accepting… And the senior speeches… Oh, you’re going to need a lot of Kleenex.” she said, referencing the annual speeches commemorating their time and devotion to their beloved club. The best thing about theater is that you do not need experience to join. Jokingly, she says, “Oh, no. If you needed experience, no one would be in theater.”

Aside from theater, Gibson also enjoys reading. “I’m a bookworm,” she said. One of her favorite book series is Harry Potter, and her favorite author is J.K Rowling, getting the opportunity to write a letter to her back in fifth grade. “I wasn’t expecting a reply back,” she recalls. “But then when I was mowing the lawn one day, my dad came in with a letter in his hand. He was like, ‘Do you know anyone from Europe?’. At that moment, I knew it was from Rowling.”

Another exciting event was going to Florida for a band trip. Being over 400 miles away from her family was nerve wracking. “I had major anxiety back in fifth grade,” Gibson said. “I had to go to therapists for it… My parents got pretty tired of me.”

Gibson also recalls going to church camp, her anxiety trailing along with her.
“It was pretty hard to get through. I usually went through the days without talking to anyone… The Florida trip was the scariest, though. Knowing that I’m over 400 miles away from my parents? It made me so scared and terrified.”

Gibson’s family consists of her 2 parents, her sister and her two brothers. Gibson’s sister states, “Emma is a kind and forgiving person with a heart for books.” she said. “She can be serious but is also a really fun person to be around. Though it may be hard sometimes for her and I to see, we will always be sisters and {we} will always love each other. I can’t imagine a world without her.”