I have learnt SO MUCH throughout the 2 years that I've taken drama. Every year and every day my actors tool box keeps getting bigger and bigger. Whether it's learning about miming, tableaus, improvisation, script reading and monologues. Or even how to integrate good lighting, sound effects, or breaking the fourth wall. I've really grown so much as a actor and as a person. Just today I was talking to one of my old teachers from six grade who told me, "Anya, you've grown so much more confident from the time I had you in sixth grade." And I said, "thank you, it's all because of drama!"
If I look back to my mime performance in seventh grade I can see how shy I was. I didn't really take myself seriously or my acting. I was too shy to make an impact on my audience and actually I look them in the eyes. I also would keep on smiling and laughing throughout my performance, even though it wasn't part of my skit. I would rush through all my performances because I hated having all eyes on me while I was alone on stage. In my seventh grade class I would never talk or perform unless I had to.
If we jump along to eighth grade I was way more confident, but still a little shy. I think that eighth grade had the biggest impact on me as a student in drama, it also helped having Ms. Fulcher as a homebase teacher! If we focus on my Shakespeare insults performance I can see such a big difference in my acting compared to seventh grade. I actually took my performance seriously and got into character pretty well; I didn't laugh and played my part believably throughout the performance. During the shakespeare insults I saw a growth in my creativity levels and the comfort I had in perform on stage. I really loved Kestrel and my idea of being prisoners in a county jail, it was something that I've never done before, and showed me my flexibility as an actor. During seventh grade I was really only good and used to playing the quite and shy actor but the shakespeare insults showed me what I was really capable of.
The next performance that I feel I learnt from is my Jabberwocky performance. I LOVED this performance. The poem was so cool and I loved the many different ways it could be interpreted. I was so into this Jabberwocky performance that I bet next year if you ask me to recite the poem I would be able to to. The Jabberwocky performance showed me my capabilities regarding lighting, sound effects, creativity, teamwork, and character building. This performance showed me that the lighting and sound effects that you add can make your piece so much more powerful. The lighting and sound effects can be used as an allusion before you start your performance. I also learnt that using your body will help you so much and add to your character. Your voice is also very important and varying your sentences and tones just makes the whole thing better. One really cool thing about the Jabberwocky performance is that it was given without any guidelines and lets us take the reins. Each group was able to design their own set, costumes, sound, lights, positions, characters, and story. Every group's performances were unique and creative, and I really loved getting to show my creativity in this assignment. The Jabberwocky performance also showed us how important it is to be able to work well in groups. It's a skill to be able to listen to others and include everyone's ideas in the final piece.
Lastly, our monologue. These performances were so emotional and almost made me cry. During all these monologues I think everyone saw how much they'd grown as an actor. Everyone's confidence had grown, everyone's technique had become better, and everyone's used their body in effective ways. In my monologue I was very proud of the way I showed my emotions. I varied my emotions throughout the piece and used my body and voice to help guide the audience along, I was first sad then angry, and then scared. I'm also proud of the way I was able to turn into the character so quickly and believably. This experience hadn't happened to me, but I felt like it was my story to tell. I felt an emotional connection to the story and the actors in it. This was really cool to be, because it shows that as a good actor you can carry your emotions from events in your life and integrate them into your performances. When I was performing my monologue I wasn't scared or shy in front of the audience, in fact I was excited and happy to perform a piece that I've been working so hard to memorize and convey my extreme emotions.
Overall, Drama has been one of the best electives I could have chosen throughout middle school. My confidence levels have gone up so much higher and my personality has changed so much for the better compared to the beginning of middle school. In high school I will continue drama and I will keep performing and integrate the things that I've learnt for the past years into my performances. I'm also doing ISTA London in April, so my drama journey in middle school isn't over yet!
No comments:
Post a Comment