ryanmichel
Oct 30, 2015
Undergraduate / "Man creates art; art creates man." Theatre geek. Transition from a child to an adult. [4]
Here is my REALLY rough second draft. Thank you for helping me out!
"Man creates art. Art creates man." I never understood what my director meant at the first rehearsal of my high school "career" in theatre. I brushed it off with the thought that he was just some philosophical nut job who decided to direct a high school theatre production. What I didn't know was that each character I assumed throughout high school, my personality changed from a reserved, cowardly boy into the poised, passionate young adult I am today.
I was never the theatre geek in my family. I thought I was shy and awkward. I could have never pictured myself onstage, much less singing and dancing in front of hundreds of people. In my sophomore year of high school, in our school production of "Xanadu", I played Danny McGuire, an old washed-up orchestra leader turned construction mogul. Since Danny and I were polar opposites personality-wise, I had to step out of my comfort zone to play the role well. While struggling with the character, I found myself becoming more outgoing and confident rather than timid and introverted.
My family has always been a "theatre family". My mother and sisters had always been involved with our local theatre, performing in musicals that my father and I inevitably had to attend. In my freshman year of high school, my older sister, a senior at the time, made me promise I would audition for the school play. I reluctantly agreed, and when the day of the audition came, I grumbled through the entire process, and eventually landed a spot in the ensemble. I somewhat enjoyed rehearsals, learning songs and mimicking the simple choreography we had. I had fun performing with my sister, but I didn't think I would go back my sophomore year after she left for college.
As one of four boys in the entire drama department, it was not particularly challenging to get cast as a leading role in a show. Danny McGuire is an old character, aging somewhere between 55 and 65. As the baby of the bunch, I felt uncomfortable playing a part where I had to act like I was decades older than the main characters, characters played by a senior boy and girl. Having to portray a character with which you don't relate is a daunting task for any actor, even more so for a mere sophomore in high school. "Getting into character" should be simple enough for any actor, but for an inexperienced thespian like myself, even that was challenging.
There was no way I could be successful in playing Danny if I could not get past the doubt I had in my acting ability. I had to muster up every ounce of confidence that was hiding in the deepest crevices of my soul and force them out. Each day I had to exert all my energy into building my confidence and belief in my ability to play Danny. I began to blossom into a strong force onstage, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Reassurance from my cast mates and director helped me sustain my newfound spark and confidence in myself: if I believed it, the audience would believe it. This attitude perpetuated long after the show was over; I hit the ground running and never stopped.
For me, theatre was an artistic approach to self-discovery: a way for who I was to become acquainted with the person I will be. Because of theatre, my personality offstage has become more personable, enthusiastic, and genuine: I exhibit emotion like I never did before, and I am much more comfortable in my own skin. I'd like to think that being shy and introverted made the transition to the real me so much more prominent. I have transformed into the mature, young man I was meant to be. Change was long overdue, and my true identity was waiting in the wings, ready for its turn in the spotlight.
Here is my REALLY rough second draft. Thank you for helping me out!
"Man creates art. Art creates man." I never understood what my director meant at the first rehearsal of my high school "career" in theatre. I brushed it off with the thought that he was just some philosophical nut job who decided to direct a high school theatre production. What I didn't know was that each character I assumed throughout high school, my personality changed from a reserved, cowardly boy into the poised, passionate young adult I am today.
I was never the theatre geek in my family. I thought I was shy and awkward. I could have never pictured myself onstage, much less singing and dancing in front of hundreds of people. In my sophomore year of high school, in our school production of "Xanadu", I played Danny McGuire, an old washed-up orchestra leader turned construction mogul. Since Danny and I were polar opposites personality-wise, I had to step out of my comfort zone to play the role well. While struggling with the character, I found myself becoming more outgoing and confident rather than timid and introverted.
My family has always been a "theatre family". My mother and sisters had always been involved with our local theatre, performing in musicals that my father and I inevitably had to attend. In my freshman year of high school, my older sister, a senior at the time, made me promise I would audition for the school play. I reluctantly agreed, and when the day of the audition came, I grumbled through the entire process, and eventually landed a spot in the ensemble. I somewhat enjoyed rehearsals, learning songs and mimicking the simple choreography we had. I had fun performing with my sister, but I didn't think I would go back my sophomore year after she left for college.
As one of four boys in the entire drama department, it was not particularly challenging to get cast as a leading role in a show. Danny McGuire is an old character, aging somewhere between 55 and 65. As the baby of the bunch, I felt uncomfortable playing a part where I had to act like I was decades older than the main characters, characters played by a senior boy and girl. Having to portray a character with which you don't relate is a daunting task for any actor, even more so for a mere sophomore in high school. "Getting into character" should be simple enough for any actor, but for an inexperienced thespian like myself, even that was challenging.
There was no way I could be successful in playing Danny if I could not get past the doubt I had in my acting ability. I had to muster up every ounce of confidence that was hiding in the deepest crevices of my soul and force them out. Each day I had to exert all my energy into building my confidence and belief in my ability to play Danny. I began to blossom into a strong force onstage, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Reassurance from my cast mates and director helped me sustain my newfound spark and confidence in myself: if I believed it, the audience would believe it. This attitude perpetuated long after the show was over; I hit the ground running and never stopped.
For me, theatre was an artistic approach to self-discovery: a way for who I was to become acquainted with the person I will be. Because of theatre, my personality offstage has become more personable, enthusiastic, and genuine: I exhibit emotion like I never did before, and I am much more comfortable in my own skin. I'd like to think that being shy and introverted made the transition to the real me so much more prominent. I have transformed into the mature, young man I was meant to be. Change was long overdue, and my true identity was waiting in the wings, ready for its turn in the spotlight.