Trying new things can be scary, especially new things that put you in the spotlight.
This year, my first year of college, I have had opportunities to experience many new things. One of those new things was acting.
Last semester, on a day when I was feeling lonely, I decided to audition for the annual play put on by MCCC. To my surprise, despite my subpar acting skills, I was accepted into the ensemble.
The play, “Sherwood,” is a Robin Hood retelling, which featured both emotional scenes and comedy. For example, a main character’s father was killed, but there were also many jokes and lighthearted moments. And of course there’s romance. And archery.
After auditions the cast began rehearsing in the cafeteria every Tuesday and Thursday, learning our lines and practicing our British accents. Some actors sword fought, and some, including me, used bows (no real arrows, though).
Other experienced cast members were kind, welcoming and supportive as I learned how to act and navigate theater rules.
Slowly, I was able to come out of my shy shell and become friends with them. Also, I learned how to get in character: project, which is speaking loudly; and do improv, which is acting without specific directions from a script.
The week of the performance, tech week, was one of the busiest weeks of my life. By that time, everyone knew each other well and was confident in their acting, but there was a lot that needed to be done.
Each day of tech week, we rehearsed the whole show with props and costumes in the Meyer Theater. Before these rehearsals, we got in costume, checked our props, did warmups and sometimes even played acting games. On the day before the show, we practiced in makeup.
On the day of the first performance, April 4, I was incredibly nervous. I knew my four lines and my costume changes and the scenes and props I had, but performing in front of people (including my parents and professors) would be entirely different from a rehearsal.
The performances went really well on Friday and Saturday. This was my first time performing in front of an audience and I was shaky, but the shows went smoothly.
Unfortunately, on Sunday, one of the main cast was unable to perform so a member of the ensemble had to step up as his understudy and perform his part “on book,” which means he acted with a script in his hand. Despite this, the final performance, although different from the first two, also went smoothly.
After each of the performances, the majority of the cast went out to eat, which was a fun way to celebrate.
During the first few rehearsals, I could hardly say my lines because I was so nervous, but by the time we performed, although I failed to maintain a British accent, I was able to actually act. At the start, I had avoided initiating conversations with the rest of the cast, but by the time we went out to eat after Sunday’s show, I was able to speak and laugh with my new friends.
I would encourage anyone feeling bored or lonely to try something new, like a club, sport, writing or acting. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to do it again if you don’t like it, but you just might make friends or develop a new passion.
