This year was my first year at Hahnville. I walked into everything at once, so many classes, so many clubs to join, so many grades to keep up, and so little time in the day. The one thing I knew I wanted to do was theatre. I was in Talented Theatre and being on stage was my passion. And the HHS Theatre Department wasn’t the little-kid-theatre I had been used to. No, this was the real deal. I wanted to be apart of it. Audition dates were posted and before I knew it, we were two weeks before auditions. As a teenager, I did what we do best: procrastinated. I waited until last minute to find my monologue and song. I chose the most cliche song possible, “There are Worse Things I Could Do” from the most cliche musical “Grease.” I already had it …show more content…
Tech crew was posted and I was assigned assistant sound operator. It might not have been the theatre I was used to, but theatre is theatre and I was going to give it my all. After the first week or so, I was getting the hang of the mics and the soundboard. It was even enjoyable at sometimes. Although it was hard seeing all of my friends on stage acting, I just to make the best out of it and that’s all I could do. Our musical arrived and I just assumed that I would be doing sound again because I had already learned the technical aspects of it, but when the list came out, I was surprised to see that I would be an assistant stage manager. This time, I’d be on stage, just behind the curtain. I moved set, reset the stage before and after performances and helped the director with anything she needed. It was an experience, I’ll never forget. It wasn’t the best at times, but when it comes down to it, I’m proud to say I was apart of it. I was able to show my work ethic to the directors and get to know the theatre department. Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like, being in the cast of this season’s productions. I then realize I’ll never know. What I do know is that if you want something, you have to work for it. Nothing is going to be handed to you and it may take failure to make you realize
Even if I didn’t make it, I don’t think anyone realizes what you learn when training in this profession. Musical theatre has allowed me to step up, commit to my work, become more confident and to have fun! You learn to become focused and pay more attention to detail. Building sets, reading scenes and learning music betters your communication and listening skills. All of these skills I have acquired over the last few years and I they are still helping me to grow. I think my biggest take away from this past summer is to become more confident as a person and in my work. Confidence is a big part of doing musical theatre. Some people having no confidence or a little too much. Trying to gain confidence has made me appreciate my body, the little things and what I do. I have already had many people come up to me at school and tell me that they’re loving my new glow confidence and love for myself. Overall, I see why people doubt the career, but they only consider the outside results. Musical theatre has made me the person I am today and I will never forget
A couple of years ago I took group singing lessons at an acting school called Stage Left Children’s Theater. Towards the end of the year some of the kids in my class started talking about this thing called ‘Main Stage’. I asked my teacher about it and it turned out to be a big end of the year musical that Stage Left held. Most of the classes that they held were divided into age groups but Main Stage wasn’t. Main Stage featured a variety of ages from eight to eighteen. I thought it sounded cool enough but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it. However, I decided that it was one of those experiences that I’d only get so many chances to do. The play that year was Shrek: The Musical. I’d seen the movie Shrek and liked it so I thought why not give it a go? I asked
This past year (2000) I have been working in the sound booth for The John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts. Here at the John Lyman Center (JLC) we have been going through a time of transition. The former resident technical guru who had taken care of JLC's happenings had retired, leaving the JLC in a semi chaotic state. The dance school season was just about to start which happens to be our busiest time of the year. The administrative staff here at the JLC was franticly trying to find a replacement while interim Chris Hudacs fought his was through the perilous dance school season.
Hurriedly walking into the Center for Arts and Theater, I rushed to sign in and see what I could do since I wasn’t the most punctual person that day. I wasn’t significantly late, but call time was at 6:30 and I had walked in at 6:45. Being fifteen minutes late in theatre is a big deal, even if you are not an actor. Luckily I wasn’t really responsible for many props, so my
This job would be anywhere it took me, I could be in Oklahoma for a week and California the next, it would be hectic but worth it. I could stay home and perform at the Lyric Theatre or I could travel to different theaters and perform with a traveling cast, which would be fun and exciting. Normal days consist of waking up early and getting to the theatre by 11:00 or 11:30 in the morning and leaving at 11 in the evening, on special occasions you could leave at 12:00 in the morning (Ellis, “24 Hours With A Broadway Actress”).
I will be a dance captain for the schools fall musical. Dance captain is like a job that I was assigned. I have certain expectations that I need to meet and have goals to complete daily. I have been built into the schedule so that I have times when people are working with me while the director is rehearsing other scenes. My duties include writing choreography for the show and also being able to learn every dance number and blocking so I can teach it to all of the cast members and be there for reference when needed.
Meanwhile, my voice inevitably shook in rhythm with the music. I was filled from head to toe with terror, but pushed through it. Why did I agree to do the Christmas show in the first place? I knew I didn’t like talking in front of large groups, so what made me think singing and playing guitar would be fine? Nothing. I was pressured into doing it. “It will be fun!” my neighbor, teacher, and friend Tim said, “Your family will love it!” He was right about the second part, but at least for me, it was far from
I had auditioned like all the other new members did every year and played all twelve major scales two octaves and sight-read music that would be performed later by everyone who made the cut. A week later, when the list of the members for this year’s group was released, the list implied that I did not pass the audition. Of course I inquired to know exactly why I did not pass, and I didn’t like what I heard. I was told by the director himself that I was one of the best incoming members that auditioned; however, he had to shrink the section down to fifteen to compensate for the decrease in the number of returning members. I smiled and nodded like I was taught to do for so many years and simply carried on with the next five weeks of my life as if nothing happened. Then, I got a call saying that a spot in the section had opened when one of the members quit and was asked to join because I was on the waiting list. I agreed to join and the lady on the other line told me when the next rehearsal was.
It’s a very rewarding feeling knowing you’ve helped someone who has been really struggling, and knowing that they trust you with their problems and that they know they can rely on you for assistance when they need it. Being involved with the musicals is some of the most fun i’ve had in my highschool career. I’ve always tried out for the highschool musical and always gotten a part, and just last year I helped the backstage crew of the middle school musical. Just being a part of it is what I like the most, being a single part in an entire production, and i’m the person who was best fit for that specific part. It makes me feel unique and different knowing that I was picked for that certain part. Last year I got my first actual lead as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard Of Oz. It had to have been the greatest experience of my life, I read my script any chance I could because I wanted to make this the best performance I have ever done, and I feel like I had
Technical Theatre class was a great learning experience for me. When I first signed up for the class, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. I had always been quite clumsy, and I’d never been very handy; so I didn’t think I would be of much use to the set building process. However, before the building process began, the class was taught how to properly and safely use power tools. Being educated on how to handle the equipment made me feel a lot more confident. Now, I’m proud of myself because I ended up getting a lot of work done that I didn’t think I was capable of.
During attending school and college, I have had numerous opportunities to get involved in performing. One of my best experiences was being part of the cast in Beauty and The Beast
For this year’s production I chose to take on a bigger responsibility within the group rather than simply just performing. I felt it would offer a new challenge and give me a greater sense of confidence in understanding the importance of my job. ...
In assisting Deirdre Lavrakas I will help with scheduling rehearsal rooms, creating the weekly rehearsal room schedule for staff distribution, helping with labor budgets for performances in the Opera House and Eisenhower Theater, act as a production liaison for wardrobe and hair and make-up, and further my knowledge of daily and long-term responsibilities of a production manager. In participating in the Internship I plan to gain real life production management experience at one of the leading Performing Arts Centers in the world. I will be able to learn how a Union house functions by working with Local 22, 772, and 798 and reading their Collective Bargaining Agreements. I will be able to conduct interviews with some leaders in orchestra, theater, opera and ballet production world. Also, The Kennedy Center offers sixteen different Intern Seminars covering a variety of topics such as Special Programing, Research and Evaluation, Education, Development, Washington National Opera,
My high school days have been spent at a STEM-focused school, where I have worked to get my associate's degree alongside my high school diploma. Struggling my hardest to succeed, I’ve given up many extracurricular activities and have lost a lot of sleep. Though these losses may seem heavy at times, I’ve learned a lot through my high school experience. For instance, I've learned that my passions are encompassed majorly in fine arts. Music, the first of my fine art interests to develop, is a big part of my life. I have been learning the piano since I was little and later added violin to the mix. Emerging from seemingly nowhere, my passion for musical theatre emerged two years later, resulting in my immediate fascination with all things Broadway.
Having only been exposed to the performance side of things in high school, learning about the amount of work that goes into production offered me a refreshing look into theatre and all it entails. The hands on experiences of LX2 and SX were eye openers for me in terms of looking at what happens backstage while actors are rehearsing, which is the part of theatre I am most familiar with.