Tell us about an intellectual experience, project, class, or book that has influenced or inspired you.
(500 words preferred)-587 words used
The lights dim. A single beat starts in a slow staccato. Another is added, then another, until a thunderous cacophony echoes in the vast auditorium. The beat reverberates in your very soul until..."I. AM. JANE!"
Thus began the rollercoaster ride called "The Chronicles of Jane: Book Seven", my 2009 Edgren Far East Drama Team's ultimate ensemble project for the Far East Drama Festival in Okinawa, Japan. Two and a half solid months of sweat, tears, and acting was poured into daily two hour practices. It became our pièce de résistance, the performance that defined my school. Needless to say it was a challenge for the greenest of actors to the most experienced thespians. Come February, I was tangibly changed as a person. "The Chronicles" taught me two important life lessons: how to strike that precarious balance between being an individual and coalescing with a team.
The play itself was an epic, pseudo-realistic tale about a term paper told and acted out by the loveable, self-absorbed "Jane" and her band of flunkies. I had the distinct honor of being the "Evil Stewart", a whiny horrible boy who was Jane's brother and nemesis. I had only started acting the year before, but through this villain I really came into my own. I tried countless voices, postures, and facial expressions until I found the perfect "Stewart", a nasally-voiced boy with an awkward crouch and permanent sneer. I had to bring an individual character alive in an ensemble, striking out on my own to stand in the spotlight for those couple minutes. It was an invigorating experience because it really stretched my abilities as an actor and made me realize the importance of individualism. Not to mention, I had the best time being the antagonist; I even had an overblown karate fight scene! We all contributed ideas to the play, adding a bit of ourselves into the grand medley; for example, I came up with the idea of a visually stunning tribal dance with colored scarves.
However, the majority of the play was centered on working together. Everyone except Jane had to blend cohesively into one single entity. All the groupies had to play roles such as the "walls" of her bedroom and her many wild, hyperbolic "thoughts" centered on the treacheries of writing a term paper. We had to work together to make our movements fluid and uniform. The "wall" had to be ramrod straight and consistent, while the "thoughts" had to synchronize the way they walked. Even the drum beats at the beginning and end of the play had to be harmonized perfectly. The play required an immense amount of team work and dedication; it certainly tested our patience thin. I know that I became increasingly irritated during some three hour practices that just didn't flow. But in the end, we bonded as a team and studied everyone's mannerisms to produce a superb production. I learned how to work with people, not against them; it's a skill that has proved extremely useful in classes and outside of school. Without this play, I would never have experienced the incredible feeling of belonging to something bigger.
The villain is defeated. The computer prints the paper. And the beat goes on. In full circle, we end the play with soul-shaking thunder and an innate sense of completion. The crowd surges to its feet, roaring in approval. Inside I knew it completely worth it; my team huddled in a hug, tears of joy streaming down our faces, as we celebrated our perfect score.
(500 words preferred)-587 words used
The lights dim. A single beat starts in a slow staccato. Another is added, then another, until a thunderous cacophony echoes in the vast auditorium. The beat reverberates in your very soul until..."I. AM. JANE!"
Thus began the rollercoaster ride called "The Chronicles of Jane: Book Seven", my 2009 Edgren Far East Drama Team's ultimate ensemble project for the Far East Drama Festival in Okinawa, Japan. Two and a half solid months of sweat, tears, and acting was poured into daily two hour practices. It became our pièce de résistance, the performance that defined my school. Needless to say it was a challenge for the greenest of actors to the most experienced thespians. Come February, I was tangibly changed as a person. "The Chronicles" taught me two important life lessons: how to strike that precarious balance between being an individual and coalescing with a team.
The play itself was an epic, pseudo-realistic tale about a term paper told and acted out by the loveable, self-absorbed "Jane" and her band of flunkies. I had the distinct honor of being the "Evil Stewart", a whiny horrible boy who was Jane's brother and nemesis. I had only started acting the year before, but through this villain I really came into my own. I tried countless voices, postures, and facial expressions until I found the perfect "Stewart", a nasally-voiced boy with an awkward crouch and permanent sneer. I had to bring an individual character alive in an ensemble, striking out on my own to stand in the spotlight for those couple minutes. It was an invigorating experience because it really stretched my abilities as an actor and made me realize the importance of individualism. Not to mention, I had the best time being the antagonist; I even had an overblown karate fight scene! We all contributed ideas to the play, adding a bit of ourselves into the grand medley; for example, I came up with the idea of a visually stunning tribal dance with colored scarves.
However, the majority of the play was centered on working together. Everyone except Jane had to blend cohesively into one single entity. All the groupies had to play roles such as the "walls" of her bedroom and her many wild, hyperbolic "thoughts" centered on the treacheries of writing a term paper. We had to work together to make our movements fluid and uniform. The "wall" had to be ramrod straight and consistent, while the "thoughts" had to synchronize the way they walked. Even the drum beats at the beginning and end of the play had to be harmonized perfectly. The play required an immense amount of team work and dedication; it certainly tested our patience thin. I know that I became increasingly irritated during some three hour practices that just didn't flow. But in the end, we bonded as a team and studied everyone's mannerisms to produce a superb production. I learned how to work with people, not against them; it's a skill that has proved extremely useful in classes and outside of school. Without this play, I would never have experienced the incredible feeling of belonging to something bigger.
The villain is defeated. The computer prints the paper. And the beat goes on. In full circle, we end the play with soul-shaking thunder and an innate sense of completion. The crowd surges to its feet, roaring in approval. Inside I knew it completely worth it; my team huddled in a hug, tears of joy streaming down our faces, as we celebrated our perfect score.
