Being Bohemian: Meg Love

BoHo Theatre's Production Coordinator Meg Love, on what it means to be bohemian:

Before I even knew anything of BoHo Theatre, I don’t know if I really had an accurate interpretation of what being "Bohemian" meant. What I did know was that it was what I wanted to be. To "high school me," it meant thinking outside of the box, being offbeat, being "alternative," being cool and funky and doing all of this with like-minded individuals. I equated it with modern-day hippies or beatniks— or at least having that kind of style, which I found so very cool. And so, in an effort to be Bohemian, I ended up wearing a lot of paisley.

Fast-forward about 10 years and I happened to work on a show for BoHo Theatre— and I was drawn back to working for the company again and again until I finally became a company member in 2012. The reason I returned for show after show was because it was an environment where all artists are encouraged to flourish. No one was ever told that their ideas were too "out there." In fact, some of the wackiest ideas produce the best work.

This concept is the heart of innovation and BoHo embraces those it. I’m not sure anyone here has ever said that something is impossible. We only say, "Why not? How can we make that work for us?" Given our limited budgets, it would be very easy to rule out hundreds of the ideas our directors, designers, actors and even administrators have had over the years. But, we don’t. We pool our resources. We call on our company, our affiliates and our board to do some creative problem solving. We use objects we have at hand and turn them into something new.

These people, the BoHo family as it were, are cool individuals. They're funky and alternative and I love working with each and every one of them because it is in that spirit of innovation that we are able to create anything we can imagine to touch the hearts and minds of our audiences.

So I guess, after all these years, I was never really that far off with my concept of "Bohemian." Only, it's less about your style and more about how you live. What really makes a Bohemian is the innovative spirit. What truly makes us cool is a can-do attitude that believes that anything is possible and makes something out of nothing. And so I have now found myself exactly where I always wanted to be — thinking outside of the box with like-minded individuals.

Though I still wear a good deal of paisley.

Throughout BoHo Theatre's milestone 10th Season, BoHo company members will be revealing what being "bohemian" means to them. What does Bohemianism and BoHo Theatre mean to you? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook!