Elf, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and now Hello, Dolly! Xavier junior, Lucas Lowder has found himself learning and growing in theatre. Lowder has been doing theatre is whole life, but now that he is in high school, he has found himself through this art form. 

“Being a part of theatre has definitely taught me a lot. It’s taught me to always give my all and to just put myself out there. You never know what opportunity can come up, “Loweder said. “It has also given me much more confidence in front of other people,” 

Lowder just finished performing in Theatre Cedar Rapids’s Hello, Dolly! This is the first show in their 86th season.

“I am in the ensemble. The male ensemble in Hello, Dolly! plays a huge role in the show as we do a very difficult dance called The Waiters Gallop, where our head waiter says we need to be lightning-fast, and we also sing the title song, Hello, Dolly! where Dolly comes back to the restaurant and where she famously walks down the red staircase at the restaurant in her bright red dress,” Lowder said.

Theatre can be so much more than just putting on a show. Theatre serves as an outlet and a resource center for people to grow and learn.

“Youth need imagination to grow, create, think, and play, the performing arts and theatre world provides that opportunity.  It is also well documented that students who are involved in the arts also perform better as a student. It’s really a win-win,” Sue Lowder, Lucas’s mother, said. 

Sue believes strongly in the importance and relevance of live theatre.

“Through live theatre, we are immersed in stories about characters from every background imaginable, for just a few short hours it allows us into someone else’s shoes and see life from their point of view. I think we are often surrounded by people like us. Theatre is a place for us to open our minds and hearts to others,” Sue Lowder said. 

Lucas also believes that live theatre plays an important part in society. 

“In a theatre you can truly feel the energy that the actors are putting out, and with the music being played right there in the theater, it really immerses you in the story,” Lowder said.  Theatre Cedar Rapids is currently showing Dracula through November 3.