The Extra-Curricular: Generic Theater Company

The following blog post was written by Allie, a sophomore peer advisor studying math and economics. You can learn more about Allie here.
Welcome to GW, where you may be able to find a freshman who already has a job secured for after graduation. We go to school in a busy city where a lot of students are very career minded (which is awesome), but I am here to tell you that it is okay to be involved with student organizations that have nothing to do with your major (and plot twist—it can actually be extremely helpful for you).
Hi guys, I am a sophomore double majoring in Math and Economics (tune in to my next blog “When people are terrified of your majors”…joking…kind of). There are a bunch of great organizations on campus in the math/economic fields of which I am involved in some of them and they are awesome; but, one of the main student groups that I am involved with is student theatre.

I am the Co-Finance Director of Generic Theatre Company which is one of four student theatre groups on campus (14th Grade Players, Forbidden Planet Productions and GW Shakespeare Company are the others). I also assistant stage managed two shows last year and am assistant directing “Other Desert Cities” this semester. (This is a shameless plug but please, please come audition on September 23 and 24 in the Marvin Center. If you don’t want to audition, come see it November 10-12! Alright, shameless plug over).
Student Theatre is a vibrant community and are always looking for new members no matter what year you are and no matter how much previous experience you have had. I personally am always looking to get more UHPers involved in theatre.  Each company puts on about 3 shows per semester so that’s 12 shows each semester (I know this because I am a math major.) We are always looking for new people to audition for shows, to work on production teams like me (Stage Managing, Directors…), to design (set, lights, sound, costume), and to be involved in other aspects of tech [backstage/run crew, set/build crew, board ops (basically press the buttons for the light and sound cues)]. If you don’t want to work on a show, just come see them and be a great audience member. They really are a ton of fun, and let me tell you, people at GW are talented!

Do I plan to have a career in theatre? No. But, do I love my student theatre family and my Generic Theatre Family? Yes. Also, your extra-curriculars do not need to reflect your majors. If you enjoy something and are passionate about it or just want to try something new, get involved! I promise, it is not a waste of your time. I have met a lot of my closest friends through student theatre and found a truly incredible and welcoming community on campus. Even if you really just want to find a job, employers like seeing that you have interests in other stuff. Fun fact: I got my summer internship (at wealth management firm) in part because of my involvement with theatre. They liked that I had a passion and communication skills from theatre in addition to my quantitative math skills. So my advice, go out and get involved with something new that you find fun (and if that is student theatre, awesome).
If you have more questions about student theatre or life in general please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at amaier425@gwu.edu.