I’ve never been one to step out on stage to be in a theater show. My experience has been limited to two experiences — as an extra for Marshall Area Stage Company’s “Guys and Dolls” musical in 2006 and playing Antonia’s afflicted brother Marek and then Tiny Soderball in “My Antonia” in MASC’s 2008 readers’ theater. My main line for Tiny was “oh my,” which I made somewhat memorable.

I don’t know what sparked my interest in theater and watching live shows. Perhaps it was seeing my brother portray the character of Max in “The Sound of Music” at my alma mater, Somerset High School. Theater didn’t really come to my high school until my last couple of years there. Plus I was very shy, so I definitely couldn’t see myself getting involved. I have to admit that it was surprising to see my brother onstage as well as he’s also a bit shy. He was awesome as Max and went on to be in a few other shows.

A couple of years after I came to Marshall I joined the Marshall Area Stage Company. I was more of a behind-the-scenes kind of gal. I helped find props, moved stuff on and off stage and was even an assistant stage manager for one of the shows. It was through theater that I met Ross. It’s fun to see a show come together, and it’s sad when the run comes to an end. I’m always amazed at the talent around here and what they bring to the local community theater stage, whether it’s Marshall, Lake Benton, Pipestone, Tracy, Brookings or wherever. There’s also the high schools. I’ve seen a few high school productions during my time in the Marshall area as well.

Last weekend was the second weekend of a successful run of “Beauty and the Beast” for the Lake Benton Opera House. Facebook posts urged people to get tickets early as they were selling quickly. We knew we wanted to go to the show, and Saturday was the only option I really had last weekend. But we were a little pokey in making reservations. I had called the box office around 6 p.m., hoping for the best. We headed toward Lake Benton. When we got there, there was quite a few folks standing outside, some already had tickets. We thankfully managed to get a couple. The main floor was already filled, so we were up in the balcony, which provides a different perspective of things.

And it was a great show. The actors portrayed their characters well, the story was familiar and fun and I barely noticed the fact that I was sitting in a wooden seat. That’s the magic of theater.

Speaking of theater, people have the chance next week during Marshall’s Sounds of Summer to see the Marshall Area Stage Company’s Shakespeare in the Park production of “Romeo and Juliet.” Showtimes are 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Aug. 18-19 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, in Liberty Park. Ross has a couple of roles, including Montague. Even if you’re not necessarily a fan of Shakespeare, come and check it out. Here’s hoping for good weather for an outdoor show.