Madison Decker is a theatre arts major.
How do you see your theatre education contributing to your future goals?
I see my theatre education impacting my future goals in a multitude of ways. I’ve learned organization, communication, and how to work well with others during my stage management and acting classes. I’ve learned creativity and technical skills during my time in the painting and costume shops. I’ve learned how to analyze texts and scripts and about timing and pacing through playwriting classes. All of which I hope to take with me in my pursuits of stage management and writing.
What do you hope to do when you graduate?
I am not sure yet. I am still figuring things out for myself and while I don’t have a crystal clear image of what that future looks like yet, I can start to see certain paths emerging. I would like to pursue writing, whether for stage, screen, or novelization, regardless it has always been a dream of mine to have published work. But now that I have been exploring careers in theater, I would like to further look into careers in stage management.
What do you enjoy doing outside of academics?
Outside of academics I have always loved reading books and collecting them to form my own personal library at home. I also love to collect vinyls, build lego flowers, and painting. Books, music and art have shaped me into the person I am today and I love to surround myself with it and share that feeling with people I love: my partner, friends, and family.
Is there something you would like to share that you wish we asked you about?
I discovered that I wanted to explore careers in theater late in college and I wished I had participated in more earlier on. I had bad experiences in high school with theater but thanks to a class my spring semester of freshman year, I was able to rediscover that love. Now I hope to turn it into a career. It’s not too late to go after a dream, and I am really grateful to Pitt Stages for the opportunity to do so.