I stood on the platform clutching an overstuffed pink tote bag and a large hot coffee close to my chest, even though it was 90 degrees outside, imitating the men and women around me who evidently refused to sacrifice their respectability for iced beverages. When the 8:20 train arrived, I filed in with the rest of the people I saw every weekday but never acknowledged, and we assumed our regular positions: one person to each three-seater. In just two weeks over the...

When I visited Northwestern in April, I heard Dr. David Catlin give a speech to the recently accepted Theatre students. His words have stuck with me to this day. “You guys are probably here because you want some sort of career in the theatre. And to that I ask…seriously?” he prodded, eliciting knowing smiles from the faculty and uncomfortable exchanges between students and parents. He continued to speak about how theatre was irrational, but listed it among the other...