San Diego State Musical Theatre Club (MTC) has elected new members to their current board for the 2021-22 academic year.
Anelaokalani Lee, a psychology major, is the newly elected secretary on the MTC board. She claims that doing musical theatre in high school changed her life, because she felt she wasn’t going to get a lot of chances to do musical theatre, until she joined MTC.
“A lot of people have told me that after joining theatre, they saw me break out of my shell and become more confident in myself,” Lee said. “I really think this is true and I hope to continue growing as a performer through theatre.”
“It [theatre] also creates such a strong bond with others. It’s really beautiful to see,” Lee said.
Vivian Romero, a third-year student majoring in Theatre Arts with a Sociology minor, has been doing theatre since she was eight and serves as MTC’s Vice President and Social Chair.
“I love getting to create a story with other people and collaborate and create one cohesive piece or story or idea that inspires a group of people,” Romero said. “Something specific to live theatre is that that exact show or moment only happens once, with that exact audience, with that exact time and space.”
Another person that shares the desire to tell stories, aside from Lee and Romero, is newly elected MTC president Shelby Wuitshick. She is a junior majoring in theatre arts and minoring in both business administration and interdisciplinary studies.
Wuitshick used to perform at summer camps and also worked behind the scenes at productions before coming to SDSU. According to Wuitshick, one of the more interesting parts of theatre is analyzing characters in plays, musicals and/or even small cabarets.
“It’s a fun way to meet people and to just put yourself out there. Although it is a vulnerable space, it is also a space to really try new things and kind of create your new self,” Wuitshick said.
Part of the conversation that MTC is having involves a transition from the way theatre was being done during COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, some of the members of the club haven’t seen a production on campus yet.
“I was able to be a part of a Zoom production,” Wuitshick said. “I’m excited to get back in person but having that experience of doing everything online was interesting and kind of showed that art can be created wherever.
SDSU students are expecting to transition onto the main campus during the fall semester and Wuitshick is excited to interact with both current and new MTC members.
“I’m especially excited to work with the MFA Musical Theatre students. Potentially some things with Skull and Dagger.”
Wuitschick mentioned MTC’s focus for the upcoming academic year is on recruiting all students with a passion for theatre, even if they are not theatre majors and preferably if they are undergraduates.
Notably, the MTC board is composed of only women for the ‘21-’22 school year.
“The board is a rad team of ladies, we’re all so excited to be working together and bringing together the musical theatre peeps at SDSU,” Romero said. “It’s really cool, just leading the pack. It hasn’t been that way yet so it’s exciting.”
“This is definitely a male-dominated industry, as it is in the arts so I was so excited to find out it was a group of women who I know are amazing and so talented and so driven,” Wuitshick said.
The current board has already met to discuss upcoming events..
“In all of the meetings we’ve had so far, everyone has come in with ideas and with excitement and I think there’s a feeling of comradery in understanding this is a lot to take on but we’re excited to do it,” Wuitshick said.
Wuitshick believes participating in theatre is a positive opportunity for all students.
“I feel like it [theatre] really changes your perspective in understanding that everyone is an individual person,” Wuitshick said. “It really kind of opens your eyes and makes you think more not just about yourself but how you fit into the whole collective.”
MTC does not have an official page or a specific meeting time, but information about the club can be found on their official Instagram page @sdsu_mtc.
