When was the last time you went out of your way to see a live performance? As an actor and theater lover, I realized it had been a long time since I had gone to a show outside of DHS or Broadway. What we often forget is the in between–those performances that don’t have $300 tickets, but also aren’t high school level. Deeply inspired by my English teacher this year, Dr. Rejan, I started to expand my theatrical horizons.

In January, I went to see Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play English with a friend from my English class, driving to New Haven and supporting a Long Wharf Theatre Company performance at a local university. The entire time, we were shocked by the talent of the actors, the technical elements, and the overall storytelling.

We stayed for a Q-and-A after the show, and were disappointed to see that we were the only teens at the performance (and the majority elderly theatergoers seemed excited to see us there). The actors talked with us personally after the show, and were excited to hear that our English class had supported the play. When we read the play in class several months later, all we could think about was the phenomenal production we saw, and the discussions around language it sparked.

Everyone can benefit from seeing local art. Those interested in acting, music, technical work, or playwriting, can find inspiration in their interactions with a broad scope of theater productions. Those who typically don’t find themselves on or behind the stage can be motivated to think deeply about various subjects, and pursue new directions of thought. In Penn Yan Theatre Company’s article “Why Theatre is Essential to the Health of Our Communities,” a key effect of exposing the community to art is that “creativity flourishes, academics improve, and means of self-expression are developed.”

So, now that you’ve been convinced, like me, to support local theater, where do you go? Well, there are plenty of options. Most locally, the Stamford Palace Theater boasts an array of upcoming productions, including Scripts on Tap, which features new work by upcoming writers. The Shubert Theatre in New Haven frequently has Broadway tours coming through, this season including Les Miserables and the last stop of the Kimberley Akimbo national tour, as well as Pilobolus: Other Worlds, a collection based on “wit, wisdom, and whimsy,” according to the Shubert Theatre website. The Long Wharf Theatre Company is “still here” after 60 years, and will be having a celebration of August Wilson in late May.

Off-Broadway productions are also available to see! The city is right around the corner and can make for a great experience. Hamlet has been a popular pick this year; Teatro La Plaza’s production recently ended, and now three productions of Hamlet remain in Fort Green, one fusing Shakespeare’s play with the Greek play The Furies. If you are interested in seeing these rivals live, look into the details!