Revenge of the Theater Kids

I’ll admit it—there was once a time where I was a full-fledged theater kid. My first play was a high school production of Honk!, the musical about the ugly duckling; I was one of a few lucky first graders chosen for the role of “froglet.” I would watch bootleg recordings of Broadway shows on Youtube (shoutout to 13: The Musical) and knew no better fun than a cast party. And then, circa Sophomore year, I quit. It was fun enough, but I had cooler things to focus on.

I should’ve held out, though. The theater kids that stuck around are finally getting revenge for the years they spent being called “too much,” “overly dramatic,” and—I hate to say it—”uncool.” And their payback is coming in hotter than a Chicago leading lady.

Whether you embrace the label or not, you can’t deny that we’re all theater kids now. That’s the revenge, by the way—they *actually* made the whole world a stage. Besides the popularity of Wicked, we’re all Dancing With the Stars (six million of us a week, to be specific), listening to The Life of a Showgirl, and begging Lily Allen to make West End Girl a musical in her Instagram comments. We’re in a place of “look at me” and razzle dazzling. We’re applying enough blush that you can see it from your balcony seat.

How We Got Here

There’s no telling when the tides really changed for theater kids, but it can probably be traced back to when having tickets to Hamilton became social currency. Flash forward a few years, and everyone started to create a “personal brand,” making every front-facing video an audition for internet stardom. Then, there were the nostalgia-fueled edits of Glee taking over TikTok, and Gen Z discoverd and embraced Marnie from Girls—one of the best depictions of theater kids to grace the screen.

There was also Ben Platt’s viral rendition of Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi” at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards this summer, which certainly awoke my inner theater kid. Add in Sabrina Carpenter’s penchant for character shoes and jazz squares, and all the signs were pointing to a theater kid takeover.

When Timothee (a famous theater kid) and Kylie (probably would’ve been a theater kid had her life been different—remember all those music videos she’d make?) went to Oh, Mary! for date night, I knew we were cooked. And it was the theater kids who’d been cooking! While listening to the Waitress original cast recording, of course.

2025 Theater Kid Icons

There are some stars spearheading this movement who deserve a shoutout. If you’ve ever watched her childhood photo booth lip syncs or seen her perform live in general with those kitschy sets and costumes, you’ll know that Sabrina Carpenter has huge theater kid energy. She was even on Broadway for a spell before Covid shut it down. Olivia Rodrigo was a theater kid, and you can tell by the belting at her live shows that her fans were, too. There’s Timothée Chalamet, as mentioned. Everyone in Challengers. Lady Gaga. Alan Cumming’s Traitors world domination!

Then there’s the cast of Victorious. I know they all sing, but I’m once again going to applaud Ariana Grande specifically.

Though she’s always been a capital P performer, when Grande was cast in Wicked it felt like she really let her inner theater kid out to play. Besides just… performing a role based in the theater, that meant full theater kid energy coming through in weepy, earnest interviews, a rumored move to New York, and quickly formed best, best friendships with her fellow cast members.

“Reconnecting with this part of myself who started in musical theater … it heals me to do that” she explained on “Las Culturistas” last year. Which brings me to Bowen Yang and Matt Rodgers, who are both dripping with theater kid energy, just look at the aforementioned Culture Awards for proof.

All the World’s a Stage

More and more these days, getting dressed in the morning means deciding what character you’re playing: the country mouse love interest, the leading lady, the background actor you can’t take your eyes off of so you track their name down in the playbill. It’s technically stage makeup if you’re just doing it for Instagram, by the way.

Online, we’re setting our lives to music via trending TikTok sounds. Glow-up and transformation content promises the possibility of a “second act.” And what about all that talk of the “performative male?” We’re all the stars of our own show. Having main character syndrome is so theater kid.

The Last Act

The greatest takeaway here, and I’m sure any theater kid would agree, is that you shouldn’t be afraid to pursue your passions, wear your favorite costume jewelry, or go out for the role of your dreams.

Because really, what’s wrong with being a try hard? Especially if it makes you feel good, like Grande expressed. To quote Addison Rae. “Everybody’s always like, ‘Oh, she’s trying too hard.’ How about you try at all? We can tell you’re not.” That’s what’s actually embarrassing.

Also, remember: The curtain has to come down at some point. No one can handle being a theater kid 24/7, even bonafide theater kids. That’s what understudies are for. Take time to rest and reconnect with who you are off stage/Instagram, and find comfort in the fact that the show will always go on. It’s called inner character work, and I fear in a culture of showmanship it’s necessary for our souls.

Now, who wants to go to Denny’s after the late performance? The dress code is stage makeup and sweats, and as long as you have no qualms about breaking into song at the table, you’re invited.