“Not for thy fairy kingdom. Fairies, away!” If I had any understanding of that Shakespearean line before I entered high school, I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be quite the same today. Performing had always come easy to me, like a cheetah runs or a bird flies with a little practice it all came naturally. On stage, I felt free, surges of adrenaline, and overall love for everything, every second, every moment, every line. I never thought it was possible to love something so much and came with so much ease. Then high school hit, I was sure I was going to sing, dance, and perform my way through it. And whoever said something as simple as a email couldn't change your life was mistaken. I got one from my old director asking to cast me as Titania, queen of the fairies in Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream". How glamorous, I thought, taking the role without hesitation. Like most things in my life thus far, I assumed the show would be smooth sailing. Little did I know, Shakespeare was about to teach me a lot more than “Fairies, away!”
I walked into the drama room my heart beating 1,000 times per minute, but not with fear, but agreeable anxiousness, something I always felt before a show. I walked in and listened, “How happy some o'er other some can be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she...” Helena kept reciting her monologue and then more characters joined in and as if in unison the Shakespearean language they were reciting morphed into whispers of second guessing and fear. They were all so good, and they all wanted to perform just as badly as I did. No longer could I blame anxiousness for my racing heart, I could only blame anxiety. By the time rehearsal ended, I already made up in my mind that this show wasn’t right for me. When I told my mom, she replied, “They are depending on you, the show must go on”. The show must go on, no matter how hard I thought it was or how many Queen Titania’s that Midsummer Night had already lost, the show must go on. And so it did.
Thankfully, those 5 words paved one of the best decisions of my life, to learn words like enamored, and canker blossom, I learned more important words such as appreciation, dependability, confidence, and determination. Along with learning my lines, I was learning that things don’t come as easy as I originally believed. You have to work really hard for the things you want. Everyone in the cast depended on me, on each other, we were all pulling each other to the end of the finish line and if one of us stopped moving, then we would never make it. Even though things were harder, it made me want it to get my character down more than any other character I had played before and I finally broke out of my shell.
There are pros to doing the scariest thing you have ever done in your life. I got more excited about doing things at school, joining in more things, appreciating the little things like “good work” instead of ignoring everything but a standing ovation. And incomparable of all, I met the best friends I have ever had. You know in some small way you have made it when you are doing the thing you love and you look to your left and right, and can’t imagine doing it with anyone else. That isn’t hard work paying off, just a true blessing. A Midsummer Night’s Dream will most definitely be a highlight of my high school career because without it, I would still be the same spoiled pre-adolescent whippersnapper who thought everything in life comes easy. Thank you to everyone, especially my mom and director who helped me finally see that even when things seem too difficult, all seems lost, and you want to give up, the show must go on.
This is a very good draft. You descriptively wrote how going to that first rehearsal lead to your mom saying, "the show must go on". I still thonk that you could go more in depth on how that prase meant more that what everyone else would think, not just how it helped you remember scripts and learn new words. Other than that, good job.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good draft. You descriptively wrote how going to that first rehearsal lead to your mom saying, "the show must go on". I still thonk that you could go more in depth on how that prase meant more that what everyone else would think, not just how it helped you remember scripts and learn new words. Other than that, good job.
ReplyDeleteJordan,
ReplyDeleteI like how you found an inspirational moment in your life to describe how you changed from someone who didn't try to hard, too someone who tried there best and gave it there all. I felt that maybe you could have described the event that changed you a little more because I kind of got lost in what the specific event was. But, the essay in all was real good with great insight into how your acting career got to be where it is and your life lessons along the way.
GREAT DRAFT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A BIT MORE EMPHASIS OF HOW YOU WERE BEFORE GOING THROUGH THE PLAY AND ITS EVENTS. MAKE IT SOUND ALMOST TO THE POINT LIKE YOU ARE COCKY BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY. AND TRY TO USE SIMILES THAT ARE A BIT MORE RELEVANT AND NOT SO RANDOM. OTHER THAN THAT GOOD JOB. MS(3+)
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