The 9 Personalities of Your Theatre Friends

Anna Hubbel 

• OnStage Columnist

Whether it's high school, college or after you graduate, a life in theatre means you'll be a apart of some pretty interesting theatre friendship groups. 

Garnered from my own experience, I’ve made a list containing some of these personalities:

•    The Flamboyant.

This is an obvious one. The theatre typically attracts those who have magnetism for drama and the spotlight. They enjoy the attention (and why not?) and take their roles very seriously.

•    The Goof.

My boyfriend at the time filled this void in our group at college, often taking humor to an over-the-top level for the sake of a laugh. The Goof frequently engages in improv at every opportunity… sometimes, much to the director’s dismay, on Opening Night. Anything for attention and a laugh on his/her own terms.

•    The Obsessor.

These individuals obsess over memorizing lines and stage direction so that it’s absolutely perfect. They often stress about their role outside of rehearsal, practicing extra whenever they are able. And following their performance, they typically feel that their performance was inadequate and begin obsessing over that.

•    The Slacker.

The Slacker is a director’s nightmare. Slackers will choose sleeping in or getting drunk over attending rehearsal. But they perform their role uniquely enough that no one else can pull off the character quite as well, putting the director in a pickle.  

•    The Perfect.

Perfect line memorization, perfect singing voice, perfect stage performance, perfect friend – perfect everything. Perfects do everything effortlessly. Everyone knows that someday, The Perfect will star on Broadway or appear on the Oscars. You either love or hate The Perfect.

•    The Flirt.

The Flirt will flirt with everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. Sometimes the flirtatious humor crosses socially acceptable boundaries. But no one in the group minds because, after all, it is the theatre.

•    The Drama Queen.

Duh. It’s theatre. Sometimes The Drama Queen fits right in, holding a center seat within the group. But in some cases, The Drama Queen is someone who constantly looks for drama, passing tolerable boundaries, and talks about him/herself frequently, seeking some kind of approval to feel superior. 

•    The Casual.

The Casual is someone who sees theatre as more of a hobby than a passion. Casuals are reliable when it comes to their role and attending rehearsals, but they don’t consider theatre the be-all, end-all of their lives. They enjoy the theatre friendships and have fun, but aren’t constantly thinking about theatre outside of the theatre.

•    The Quiet-teer.

Quiet-teers often play chorus roles. They enjoy theatre, but are too shy for the spotlight. They prefer performing in the background and mostly listen to (rather than participate in) conversations amongst theatre members. But they are reliable and dedicate themselves to their role, however minor it might be.

Oftentimes, these personalities overlap; The Goof may also be The Flirt, The Drama Queen may also be The Flamboyant, etc. Or there is several of each personality within a group.

In any case, the “characters” (behind the characters) make for a fun group of which theatre families are made.

Photo: Rollins Colege