I'm 42. My undergrad degree was Drama, 2.1 with honours and in that time did shylock in merchant of Venice, friar in Romeo and Juliet and did three other plays, one was even a musical. I had lapses but found learning lines helped with fluency. It's a different thing when you know what the next word needs to be. You work hard to get off script then you work hard to be ready to perform without your worst nightmare happen. The performance was always the payoff for me. That encore rush and sense of validation I can't compare to anything else. I specialised in Irish theatre, shakespeare and theatre politics and loved every second of it having had a severe stutter through childhood and to this day. Have always had a habit of running towards any fire. Not all plain sailing but John Lennon was right, everything will be okay in the end, if it's not okay then it's not the end. ✌️❤️