Ask anyone I grew up with to describe me in three words and I guarantee that “shy” would almost always be in the mix because well, I was – and still very much am. I’ve never been one to put myself out there. For as far back as I can remember I was never the kid that wanted the spotlight. There was complete comfort in just sitting alone in my room creating worlds with my Barbies. So when I picked up my first high school schedule and saw that I’d close out every day in theater, I had a mental meltdown. For Jacky Rom, my guest this week, a theater crush runs deep. For me? Theater started out as a nightmare.
As if I don’t say this enough, back in the day I looked like the guy from ‘The Blindside’ with a ponytail; large, broad, and probably could’ve played in the NFL if they allowed women to do so. I was not the type of person who wore what was trendy, never wore an ounce of makeup, and often stood as slouched as could be to try and disappear. The perfect fit for a theater class, right? Yeah, no. Every single day of freshman year I dreaded the end of the day because that meant it was time to walk into the last classroom in a row of educational trailers, and hope that I could make it out without having to play any of the improv games that day.
Most days it worked, but because I was a stickler for good grades – I’d muster up enough courage to get in the bare minimum participation. Which, again, was a fucking nightmare. What overweight high schooler wants to act silly in front of a group of 30 or so kids, some of which are really cool, others who are super cute? None. Well, perhaps a handful realized early that being the class clown can act as a shield. Not me. My shield was a seat against the back wall and zero eye contact with the teacher. That’s the game I played throughout freshman year.
So you never would’ve guessed that the following year I’d be in the advanced class! This is because I learned very quickly that I was a background type of person. See, while some people love attention – I do not. I did, however, realize that I like to make people laugh, just not on a grand scale. This is why you’ll never find me opening up the camera on my phone like I’m in ‘iCarly’ and going on about my day, but you will see me post and/or repost some funny shit. I don’t like being the focus of the funny, I like to create the funny and put it out. Whether that’s by writing or podcasting. I just never want to be the face of the funny.
Not only did I learn I was more of a background person, but I also took away the basics of improv and humor in a new way. I’d digested so much pop culture up until that point but theater was the first time I saw people work on humor, and that was interesting. I could spot a natural comedian vs someone who tried too hard and was just not that funny. Perhaps Lorne Michaels will let me help him scout talent for ‘SNL’ one day, but probably not.
Theater class may’ve been my nightmare when I initially received that schedule, but in hindsight, it taught me that not everyone was meant for center stage. Sometimes you’re a background person and that’s okay because those are the people that really make the show go on. Without them, there are no clothes on the actors’ backs, no words for them to say, and no one running that spotlight.
Crushgasm 