Delivering God's Message through Theatre and Music

Tommy Shin chose to major in theatre arts and minor in music performance because he wanted to have more courage in front of people. As a child, Tommy was shy and felt like he couldn’t express the feelings or thoughts he had. When he moved from Korea to the Philippines, he took theatre classes and found the challenge of performance to be fun.

“I realized theatre could change my shyness, after I experienced being on stage while attending high school,” he says. “My goal in life is to deliver God’s message through theatre, whether in acting or directing.”

Tommy has appreciated that every semester the Theatre Arts Department has a main stage and small performances, where he can try out.

“It doesn’t matter whether I get a part or not; it matters that I experience auditions with different directors,” he says.

As part of his music performance minor, Tommy has taken vocal lessons to improve his singing. He realized that he had been singing the wrong way and didn’t have enough breath support from his abdomen. After hours of practice, his singing ability has greatly improved.

“It’s been good to get the chance to learn how to sing properly,” he says. “Not only for my dream but also for worshipping God through how I sing.”

His dream? To be in musicals, so that he can act on stage while singing. Ultimately, he would like to join a theatre company that delivers God’s message on stage.

“I like singing because music can deliver feelings and thoughts that are sometimes hard to share in other ways,” he says. “From music, I get comfort and courage not only by listening but by singing aloud. When I sing, it helps me to lay down my burdens – especially when I sing worship songs, which is when I feel most profoundly that God is beside me to guide and support me.”

He has an on-campus job working in the Commons. He’s worked his way up to being a student manager, where he can work 20 hours a week.

“I like working at the Commons because I can socialize with people while earning money,” he says. “And a great benefit of being a student manager is that, not only do I get paid more, but I also get free meals, which is nice.”

Tommy says that one of his favorite things about Dordt is Praise and Worship, which happens every Thursday night.

“No matter how much homework I have, I go,” he says. “I love to worship God through singing, and Praise and Worship gives me a chance to do that.”