Joining Cabot Theatre Board - Why You Should Try New Things

Harvard is full of surprises. If you told me during my freshman year that I would be a part of a theater group, I would have said no way! Don’t get me wrong - I love the arts. One of my favorite things about Harvard is all the incredible shows that are held on campus and in the area! And I personally love to create via photography and creative writing.

However, my experience with being in theater is limited (and should probably stop) with a middle school performance as a singing gingerbread cookie in Hansel and Gretel. Sometimes the song about veggie stew still gets stuck in my head…

Flashforward to spring semester of junior year, and I am on Cabot Theatre Board! I joined after going to some of their events, which were so fun, my sophomore year. Cabot Theatre Board is a group within Cabot House where I live. For a quick overview of Harvard Housing: all upperclassmen live in one of twelve Houses on campus.

 Each has their own dining hall, laundry facilities, gym, internal groups, and special places. Most of the groups within Houses are meant to create House community by putting on events or managing certain places within the House. Cabot has a cool theatre space with lights and a sound system so the Board is in charge of that!

Our main events are karaoke nights and codfeehouses! For karaoke nights, we usually partner with Stein Club, another internal House group that creates fun activities for people to do while also serving food and drinks. We set up the projector, give people a mic, and cheer them on!

Codfeehouses is our version of coffeehouses or open mics. (Cabot’s mascot is the Cod - so punny!). We often collaborate with Cabot Cafe, which is a student-ran cafe in Cabot House. Free coffee for everyone! Sometimes we mix it up though - for our winter themed event we had a make your own hot cocoa bar! The first hour or so is an open mic for anyone in Cabot who wants to come show off their talents by singing, playing an instrument, or reciting poetry. We then typically feature a student who is really dedicated to their music and would like to do a full set.

Our last main event is a spring musical! Our mission as Cabot Theatre Board is to provide fun activities, bring the House together, and offer anyone a chance to get involved in the arts no matter their skill level. Getting involved in theater productions elsewhere on campus can be challenging - simply due to the professional nature of the shows which require a lot of practice, skill, and time.

Cabot Theatre Board wants to offer a lowkey way to be involved in a production so anyone can join. This is only the second year, but we are excited to be presenting Legally Blonde this spring!