Man of the Year – A Journal Theatre
I can honestly say that I took this course in order to learn something about theatre. Theatre has been one area of interest that I have previously been unable to tap into on a personal level. I have seen a number of theatrical performances in the past but have never had the free time to pursue any involvement in any theatrical venue.
Therefore this course has served as my introduction to the world of theatre not only in a passive way but by performing a play, also in an active way. There were some aspects of performing that I found easy, while others appeared quite hard.
While I have never performed in a play or assisted in the production of a play, the idea of the group project was something completely new to me. In choosing to be an actor, I chose the role that I felt fit my qualities the best. It is hard to say why, but I found the ability to memorize my lines, while time consuming, rather easy. With very little work I was able to learn my lines and capture the ability to deliver them as needed. I also found comfort in being on the stage itself. Though I expected to be quite nervous and feel antsy while putting on the performance, to my surprise, I had no trouble delivering my lines or simply being on stage performing in front of a group of people. I felt successful in many aspects of my performance, from my body language, to my deliverance, and the clarity I believe I delivered my lines with. I felt as though I took my time, not rushing the performance and adding to the dramatic feel that was to be achieved. It was also helpful that the script was written using the type of spoken word that I would use in everyday conversation, making memorization easier.
The production of this play however did not come without its difficulties. The group found time to rehearse outside of class at a premium, as many of our members were involved in a number of activities and had prior commitments. The production itself was shorter than most productions are, but this did not make rehearsal any easier. While it was not difficult to memorize the lines, it required something different altogether to be able to bring all of the actors’ dialogues together and also be able to create body language that is not written into the script. The play itself was of dramatic nature and had to display emotion that was completely artificial, and I felt that the two women in our production were especially strong in presenting their feeling of fear and anxiety under pressure. While we rehearsed a number of times, they displayed different emotions each time and I felt that during our final production they were at their strongest.
While we cannot claim to be professionals in anything that we did, with some of our group members having acting experience and others like me having absolutely no experience, I was quite pleased with the final product. I was proud to be a part of the play “Man of the Year” and feel that on the limited time allowed that the play was well put on and pulled off. Personally I felt that I successful in learning my lines, being able to block, and achieve a sense of realism in my acting; turning a written play into a real live work of art, with action and drama all rolled into one. I can also say that I have definitely gained a newfound respect for the acting profession as a whole. Being able to really act in a serious manner on the stage I now know just what it takes to simply put on a performance, but to be good or great is something altogether. One can put in hard work to be able to act, and I feel satisfied that I did just that, but I do realize that it takes something special, maybe something that cannot be taught in order to be memorable.