Prompt #1: Tell us a story of your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
As we stood backstage, gripping each other's hands in a friendship circle one last time before our closing performance of The Tragedy of Macbeth, I could feel the energy moving through my body like a quick current. The road to closing night had not been an easy one, what with technical difficulties, illness, and the recent death of our director's father. You could definitely say the play was cursed, but we had finally made it. I will never forget how I felt at that moment in time, as I looked around the circle at these people I had grown so close to over the past seven months. It was the essence of bittersweet - I was so proud to have been a part of such a bonded ensemble, but I knew that it was the last time we would all be on stage together. So, I took a deep breath and did what our director, Dr. Seel, always told us to do. I had fun.
As I left the circle and took my place under the stair unit, I could feel myself transforming into my character. I was no longer Simi; I was a witch. Having the fog machine in close proximity to me under the stair unit as the curtain went up only gave fuel to my character's fire. My character was certainly manipulative and twisted, but her emotions were real. I suppose that's what acting has given me - a greater sense of empathy. Empathy by means of escape. Acting, for me, is an escape from reality, as I delve into the great unknown. Seeing things, feeling things, and doing things that I myself would not, is what makes playing a character so exhilarating.
After I finished my last scene, I sat backstage and watched my fellow actors with admiration as they made magic on stage. Being apart of a cast is similar to being apart of a sports team. We rise and fall together as one singular unit. There is always drama offstage, but you must put that aside in order to have a truly successful performance. You must trust that your cast mates will give you everything you need on stage, and in return you will do the same. Theatre has shown me how important it is to be able to communicate well with others. Being a cast member has taught me that everyone's contribution to the production, no matter how small it may be, is valuable.
In summary, I am so proud to have been a part of this cast. It has allowed me to explore and understand the many facets of human emotion. Every person and character I encounter helps to shape my consciousness and identity as a human being. Theatre has made me a person who lives in the moment and a person who utilizes every learning opportunity to the fullest. My keen observations of people around me have heightened my awareness of other points of view, making me a more open-minded person. As I depart from this high school stage, with this meaningful theatre experience in hand, it will serve as inspiration for me in future endeavors.
I like the essay, I think it's pretty solid. I noticed you typed 'apart' instead of 'a part' a couple of times. You may also want to rephrase the last sentence, it doesn't sound right. Maybe you should try something along these lines; "As I depart from the high school stage, this meaningful theatre experience will serve as inspiration for my future endeavors."
