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Rishabh Nevatia2023 Scholarship Winner
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Rishabh Nevatia
Walpole High School
According to Mahoney, Performing onstage has taught me several life lessons, things I could not have learned otherwise. For example, on closing night of Walpole Children’s Theatre’s production of Treasure Island, disaster struck. We had successfully performed seven times without a hitch, and this was set to be no exception. Or so we thought. In the first scene, the lead character forgot to bring the most important prop onstage: the map. Nothing can truly prepare you for improvising onstage. Sure, we played improv games to help us feel comfortable, and I have watched Whose Line Is It Anyway? at least four times through. But being in that moment, with a live audience, is an experience like no other. It is terrifying. It is exhilarating. It is pure adrenaline. My scene partners and I successfully handled our predicament, getting the map onstage and advancing the plot as needed. It was not until after getting offstage that I realized my heart was racing, but my mind was completely clear. The rest of the show was perfect, and after the show, members of the audience even said they did not notice anything went askew. Many people fear public speaking; in fact, it has been named the number one fear in America several years in a row. Even more terrifying is having to improvise. And yet, because of that experience, I am no longer in that majority. Theater taught me not only to be comfortable in front of people, but gave me the ability and confidence to improvise in social situations. But Walpole Children’s Theatre is not the only theater company that has impacted me greatly. The Xaverian Theatre community has been fundamental in my growth as a student, friend, and actor. My confidence skyrocketed as their support bathed me, my empathy blossomed as I navigated relationships, and my social skills developed as I attended group hangouts. Xaverian Theatre enabled me to come alive, helped me become the version of myself that I once could only dream of attaining.
Walpole High School
According to Mahoney, Performing onstage has taught me several life lessons, things I could not have learned otherwise. For example, on closing night of Walpole Children’s Theatre’s production of Treasure Island, disaster struck. We had successfully performed seven times without a hitch, and this was set to be no exception. Or so we thought. In the first scene, the lead character forgot to bring the most important prop onstage: the map. Nothing can truly prepare you for improvising onstage. Sure, we played improv games to help us feel comfortable, and I have watched Whose Line Is It Anyway? at least four times through. But being in that moment, with a live audience, is an experience like no other. It is terrifying. It is exhilarating. It is pure adrenaline. My scene partners and I successfully handled our predicament, getting the map onstage and advancing the plot as needed. It was not until after getting offstage that I realized my heart was racing, but my mind was completely clear. The rest of the show was perfect, and after the show, members of the audience even said they did not notice anything went askew. Many people fear public speaking; in fact, it has been named the number one fear in America several years in a row. Even more terrifying is having to improvise. And yet, because of that experience, I am no longer in that majority. Theater taught me not only to be comfortable in front of people, but gave me the ability and confidence to improvise in social situations. But Walpole Children’s Theatre is not the only theater company that has impacted me greatly. The Xaverian Theatre community has been fundamental in my growth as a student, friend, and actor. My confidence skyrocketed as their support bathed me, my empathy blossomed as I navigated relationships, and my social skills developed as I attended group hangouts. Xaverian Theatre enabled me to come alive, helped me become the version of myself that I once could only dream of attaining.