Cheshire Curtain Call

https://youtu.be/OOuJ53P2y8g 

My Final Curtain Call at Cheshire

I came into this class with the impression that I knew everything there is to learn about acting. I am now stepping out of this black box having learned that there is always something new to learn. You just have to want to.

So yes, maybe I did not accomplish exactly what I had hoped to. Which was to film my audition tape for the acting scholarship at Hobart and William Smith. But I did learn that my acting is good enough. My insecurities have definitely been improved, I am not as shy or embarrassed by myself as I was at the start of January. This class has given me several types of scenes and exercises to use to cope with life.

This class has taught me to brainstorm and work in a group, which in the beginning I was not very good at. I am naturally hard-headed and this makes it nearly impossible to work in a group. The devising and the silent film were what helped me figure out how to combine ideas to create a final product that everyone can take pride in. I also found our google drive brainstorming sessions to be highly entertaining. They were helpful at times, some of our craziest ideas were also some of our best. All in all, this group of talented individuals made this past semester go by so quickly.

There were definitely times when I hoped that my idea would be the one we chose. But then when others were chosen, it turned out great. So perhaps I also learned to share the spotlight. There are many lessons to be learned through the dramatic arts, and I hope that next year in college, that I can uncover many more.

I enjoyed every activity that we did, especially the theater games because I think that that is how people open up. Getting people into a situation that is not something that happens in day to day life, seeing how they deal with randomness, and how they react to other’s emotions. Such as in not-a-box, you see how someone’s imagination works differently than your own. I would not have come up with the same ideas as Tas, Elena, or Maddie. Same thing with me, no one has the same ideas as I do. 

I feel as if my acting has also improved. I have finally learned the best strategy for my memorization, which is something I used to constantly struggle with. Another thing that I have bettered in my acting during my time in this class, as mentioned before, is my group skills. At times I find it difficult to see another persons idea through their perspective, and through our many activities, I have grown to understand how people think and express themselves. Receiving feedback from my peers helped me to better my acting in ways I never would have thought. I learned also that it’s okay to slow down, act up a little more. Especially when I love Shakespeare so much, being a little over dramatic is welcome and encouraged. 

All in all, throughout the course of this…course, I have learned to push myself into an uncharted acting territory and use tools I never thought I had, and create new ones. These tools will hopefully benefit me in my day to day life, as well in my future acting endeavors. While I picked up new habits in acting, I dropped my bad habits. Such as hogging the limelight, and being closed minded when it comes to taking advice. I now know that other people have good ideas that could benefit me and my acting.

Now here is a photo that Elena accidentally took of me:

 

Inside Jokes:

Maddie's knife obsession, I'm small I get it..but you're not, grinding my finger in a meat grinder, Hobart Australia, Cats in bags holding bagels, it's NOT a box Julia, I'm actually crying right now, Maddie dying