IB Theatre Day 1

The most memorable performance that I participated in was Cheshire Academy's winter musical,

Footloose. I played Rusty, and it was my first ever larger role in a musical. Although I had been taking vocal training for a long time, I had always been too shy to audition for anything that required singing or acting in front of people until last year, which is one reason why that performance was so important to me. In the role of bubbly, sweet, and clumsy Rusty, I was able to find strength, determination, and confidence. Her songs taught me that I was able to belt out songs like " Let's Hear It For the Boy", and sing in three-part harmonies in "Somebody's Eyes". Although I was self conscious in my singing and acting, I learned that stepping out of your comfort zone doesn't have to be scary, it can just be freeing. During the three nights of the performance I felt as though I was flying, I had never felt so free, even though up until dress rehearsal, I had felt my throat tightening in nervousness. I thought "what if my voice cracks", "what if I'm completely off key the whole time", or "what if I just can't hit the notes". Somehow, with the help of the director and the warm cast around me, I was able to break out of the shell that I had created for myself a little more, learning that the only person putting me down, was myself. This performance meant so much to me because it was a new and exciting experience of course, but I made wonderful friendships within the cast, learned the importance of teamwork as a cast, and was able to see growth in myself not just on stage, but off stage too.

The most memorable performance that I saw was Dear Evan Hansen. I first saw this show about three years ago, when Ben Platt was still performing the role of Evan Hansen. I walked into the theatre excited to see the show, since it was so popular and the music was so good. I had never expected to walk out sobbing with my eyes opened to the new raw emotional feeling that the actors onstage could make the audience feel. I had always loved musicals but this one, the music, the plot, the actors, the script, all had so much emotional depth, especially because the plot was pretty heavy, but had underlining themes of which I felt that everyone in the audience was able to relate to on some level. I was able to see something that was somehow heartbreaking and uplifting, or be able to relate to a character who obviously did something so wrong. I never knew that you could feel so much actual emotion from a show not only because you loved it and the story was amazing, but because it stayed in you mind for weeks afterward and changed your perception on the power of theatre as a whole.