Τheater is representation. It’s a doorway through which you can see different societies, cultures, and races. After all, everyone wants to see themselves onstage.

Being in “A Bronx Tale,” I see Bronx residents come to the show night after night. Some even attend multiple times because that’s their story. They know those streets. They know those delis. They know guys who are like Sonny, Calogero, and Slick. Theater allows us to see ourselves or to see a side of someone that we don’t understand.

I always think about “Ragtime” because that was the first show in which I really saw myself onstage. I was in third or fourth grade, and I was so moved by the grandiosity of the music and the set. I saw people who looked like me singing, acting, and dancing, and that made me feel like performing was something I could do too.

We often become comfortable with the same story told the same way, and we need to realize that there are so many new stories that need to be told by people who don’t often get the chance to speak. We need to give them the space and time to share their experiences.

I love being a part of the TodayTix campaign because it reaches out to younger people and makes theater less scary for them. Theater isn’t for any particular race, gender, or orientation — it’s for everybody. If you want to see something, there’s something for you, and TodayTix is making people see that theater is cool. Theater is current. Theater is talking about what’s happening right now. It will teach you something, and it will entertain you.

Pick up a complimentary copy of The X Magazine with your next order of concierge-delivered tickets in New York City, or buy an issue at CultureLivesHere.com.

Get tickets from $39 to “A Bronx Tale”!

Bradley Gibson

How I See Theater Differently