12/23/11 Participation

Participation: 100

Today in class, we talked about my performance last night at the Mainstage Benefit Concert. It obviously was not the best performance. We discussed my mistakes and how I could have handeled them. I have definetly learned from my mistakes and rather than getting discouraged from last night I will use it as insentive to do better next time. We also helped clean up the classroom and the auditorium today. Some of us even stayed an extra class period to get things done.

12/20/11 Journal

Today would have ususally been our theater history day. Instead, we continued to watch My Fair Lady. During this part of the movie, we got to see Eliza really change into a more proper British women. She went to the horse race, and on the outside she appeared to fit in with the other people, and her accent was decent, but the way she talked and phrased things was still very unproper. She finaly changed completely when she went to the ball. I thought that this part of the movie was much more interesting because the story started to become more interesting. Also, the costumes at the horse race and the ball were beutiful. I was actually shocked to see that there was an intermission in the movie. I guess the people who created it really wanted to get the whole effect of being in a theater.

12/19/11 Participation

Participation: 100

12/19/11 Journal

Today is Monday, which means it was my design day. I had a pretty interesting class and I really enjoyed it, although it got difficult at times. I had to sketch the acting major's feet while they were standing or sitting still. This was hard because I have never really done it before. Also it was rare that there was a moment when the actors were still.The pictures above are just rough sketches. Hopefully with time I will be able to sketch better and make things look more lifelike

12/16/11 Participation

Participation: 100

12/15/11 Participation

Participation: 100

Although I was not in school today, I did spend time working on my responsibilities for theater. I worked on the first draft of my thesis, I started reading Pygmalion, and I finished my turn of the century costume design.

12/14/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I think I learned a lot about the person that I really am. Two exercises we did today really showed me exactly how my personality really is. During the first one, you had to walk around the studio and the rest of the class had to imitate exactly how you walk. I tend to take very small strides, I am very stiff, and I walk with my head down. In the next exercise, we had to make a movement that represented our personality. In my movement, I pushed my bangs out of my face, and I grabbed my wrist. Both of these actions show me as being a little bit shy and uncomfortable. I try not to come across that way, but theater is where I tend to be myself the most. Deep down I can say that this is my personality deep down inside. I think I understood exactly what the point of these exercises were today. We had to not only play the part of the other people in class, we also have to be ourselves. If we can't be who we really are, how do we expect to play another character successfully?

12/14/11 Journal

Today was my only acting day of the week, since I am a minor. We did a few interesting acting games and exercises today. The first one we did was actually a little difficult for me. We were paired up with someone in the class who we had to imitate in-front of the whole class. I was paired with Ashley, and we had to spend about 5 minutes talking to each other and asking questions. The next exercise we did was actually very eye opening. We had to observe the way each student in class walked, and had to try and copy it to the best of our abilities. After that, we did another exercise that really showed people's real personalities. We had to come up with a movement that represented who we are. I did a movement that I catch myself doing all the time. The last two exercises we did were things that we did at our auditions. In one of them was sort of like a domino affect. We had to do exactly what the person before us did, and pass it along. In the last one, we had to say the words "bippity bippity bop" to the people in the circle. If they say "bop" before you do, you move onto the next person. If they didn't they take your place.

12/13/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I learned a lot about musical films today while watching the movie, My Fair Lady, in class today. Musical films tend to try and emulate the feeling of being in an actual theater. For example, The introduction to the film that usually lists the credits and plays background music is representing what would be an overture in a play. I also learned the definition of an In siding action. An In siding action is a change in the status quo of a play. In My Fair Lady, the In siding action was when Eliza made a scene in the middle of town because she thought that Higgins was stalking her. I learned a few random facts while watching the movie, including that many people who didn't have much money only took showers in the spring, which I thought was pretty disgusting when I found that out. I also learned a lot about the clothing that was worn in the early 1900's. Women wore long dresses and big frilly hats most of the time. I am very exited to be working on my design that was assigned to me for this week.

12/13/11 Journal

Today would have normally been a theater history day. Instead, we watched the film adaption to My Fair Lady. My Fair Lady is a contemporary version of Pygmalion, which is a required play for us to read this marking level. My Fair Lady is about a women named Eliza who sells flowers in the theater district of London. She works with a phonetic professor, Henry Higgins, to improve herself so she can get a job at a florist. We also learned about the girl's father, Alfred, who wants money from Eliza so he can fulfill his drinking needs.

12/12/11 Participation

Participation: 100

These past couple weeks have actually been a little difficult for me. We have had to help out with the dance show, and since I am I design major I spend more time in dance then the rest of the freshman class. Mrs. Mack has been giving me jobs to do that the production majors have been doing. I know these things need to be getting done, but I have been struggling a little bit since i'm not a production major. A part of me wants to ask if I can switch to acting for my major, but I haven't gotten the chance to do much design so I really don't know if it would be the best choice. Despite all of this, I have been working to my fullest potential while helping with the dance show and hopefully Mrs. Mack sees that because I know a majority of my final grade comes from her.

12/12/11 Journal

Today was a major day, which meant that I go to Mrs. Mack for design/production. We listened to Mrs. Mack talk to the dancers and the techs about things they need to work on for the show. She also went into topics like nutrition and the importance of the performing arts program at the school. I actually felt like I learned a lot from that part of the discussion. After that we helped clean up the black box because the dancers have been using that as their dressing room for the show.

12/9/11 Participation

Participation: 100

Today we did Soc writing, which is actually something I really enjoy. Writing gets a lot of my frustration out and the Soc writing is perfect for that. We also took notes on the elements of theater. Tonight I also went to the dance show, which was amazing. It was interesting to see a dance show, because I have never seen anything besides a dance recital. It is sort of the same thing with community theater and professional theater.

12/8/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I think that I grew as an artist today. We did a lot of movement, which we have done in the past. The other times I did any type of movement I felt very awkward and uncomfortable. For some reason, today when we did it I felt very relaxed and comfortable, which is something I haven't felt in weeks. Everything came a little bit more naturally to me today and I am actually very exited for the next time we do movement. I am starting to wish I chose acting as my major, but maybe that's because I haven't done much designing yet.

12/8/11 Journal

Today would normally be a design/production day for me, but since Mrs. Mack didn't need any help, I did acting. We did an exercise today that I found very interesting.We had to do a movement that represented us getting rid of something, and once we were comfortable with it we had to go to the other side of the room and do movement. After that, the seniors talked to us about picking monologues and performing them to the best of our abilities. I feel that after they talked to us I know more about which types of monologues I should be choosing.

12/7/11 Participation

 Participation: 100

All weekend I was working on rough costume sketches for Brett's play, Bad Romance: The Musial. This was the first sketch for a costume that I started for the character, Nemesis, which was read by Ashley.

12/7/11 Journal

We continued to tech for the dance show today. They are opening tomorrow so we needed to get as much done as possible as we could. I spent the whole two periods working with the costumes, which I was very happy about. I sewed flowers onto strips that will be sewn onto the spring dresses. I also cut out fabric strips that will be used in another season's costumes. I learned that things need to be very precise when it comes to cutting out fabric. The fabric that I cut out wasn't as neat as it should have been because I was cutting in the dark. This was a mistake on my part, because the smartest thing to do would have been to find a place with light and put as much effort into the cutting as possible.

12/6/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I accomplished a lot today teching for the dance show. We are back in production mode, so I am kind of used to the whole process now. You never stand around and wait for a job, you have to volunteer and take whatever job is given to you with no questions asked. I would have liked to do more with design these past two weeks, but I know that there are more important things that need to be done as soon as possible. I've decided to focus more on design this year, and acting next year. I have until junior year to decide what I want to do. I figured that next year the juniors and the sophomores are the ones who get to act in Mainstage, so it would make sence for me to do costumes this year so I get the chance to completely try out both.

12/6/11 Journal

Today we teched for the dance show again. I ran around doing a few different things, which was new because usually during production I have one main thing that I work on. Today, I worked with the music a little bit while the dancers were practicing, which wasn't extremely difficult because all I really had to do was press play on an  iPod. I helped organize wires for a little while, which was helpful for the techs. The last thing I got to do, which I have to say was my favorite, was helped sew flowers onto fabric for dresses that were being worn in the show. It was nice to finally do something that was related to my major, design.

12/5/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I worked really hard today during our class time. We had to tech for the dance show since they were having a hard time. It was good that I got to work with costumes for the first time since we started majors and minors, because I think Mrs. Mack thought I was a production major and had me working with Zack, Christa, and Miguel for the past week. For the second half of class I teched, which was a lot easier since I sort of knew what I was doing because we did a lot of the same things for senior showcase.

12/5/11 Journal

Today we teched for the dancers show coming up this Thursday. I worked with costumes for about half of the class, which I was happy about because costume designing is what I hope to pursue next to acting. I cut out fabric for some of the costumes, and labeled costumes that were already made. For the second half of the class I ran around doing a few different things involving lights.  We just spent a lot of time teching for the senior showcase, so I knew what I was doing a lot more than I did when we first started teching this year.

12/2/11 Participation

Participation: 100

Yesterday we did a reading of Brett's Play, Bad Romance: The Musical. I have never done a play reading in the program before, so I thought it was a very interesting experience. I read for the part of Tickle (Theresa) a 12 year old girl. The last time I ever did a reading was in my last community theater show, and I can defiantly see a huge difference in my acting. I am acting a lot more naturally and truthfully than I used to. Things I noticed I need to work on are showing different emotions. Maybe it's just because it was a reading, but I had difficulty during the parts where I needed to show that I was upset or really happy. With more training, I hope that I will learn how to show these emotions better.

12/1/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. I painted leaves that are props for the dance show today. I didn't talk at all and got a lot done. Since we were in the dance studio, I got to see the differences between a day in theater compared to a day in dance. The dancers have a little bit less freedom than we do. All of their moves are choreographed a certain way, while in theater our movements are kind of up to us. Dancers also seem like they have to have more patience and stamina. When a dance isn't done a certain way, they have to perform it over and over again until it is perfect. Actors need these characteristics as well, but we also have a little bit more freedom when it comes to interpretation.

12/1/11 Journal

Today was Thursday, which meant that it is my design/production day. We speant the two periods in the dance studio. We painted the leaves that we cut out Monday to make them look more realistic. I haven't gotten to do any design yet, but hopefully next week I will get to do something with costume or set design.

11/30/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I definitively learned a lot in today's acting class. We did about 5 different acting activities that helped us loosen up a lot more and be more natural. These activities were much different than anything we have ever done before in our acting classes. I'm starting to doubt my major/minor choice a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I love design and it is definitively something I want to pursue and learn more about. However, if I had more than one day of acting per week, I think that I would learn a lot more and progress as an actor a lot faster than I will with one day of training per week. Hopefully next marking level I can focus more on acting. I have until junior year to decide what I really want to do, so hopefully I get an even taste of both.

11/30/11 Journal

Today was Wednesday, which will be my only acting day for the second marking period. We did many acting exercises. For example, we did the "cat and mouse" game. In this game, one person was the cat while the other was the mouse. The cat had to chase the mouse until the mouse linked onto someone elses arm, or until the cat caught the mouse. Then, the people switch places. Another activity we played was the "yes" game. We had to look at someone in the room and if they said the word "yes", we had to walk to the place they were standing.

11/29/11 Participation

Participation: 100

Today I auditioned for the SPA 2011 Mainstage Benefit Concert. I covered the song "Just A Kiss" by Lady Antebellum. I accompanied myself on guitar, which I have been playing for about a year and a half. I have been singing for as long as I can remember, but I started lessons about a year ago. I personally think that I performed to the best of my ability. I know that I have a lot of work to do on guitar, because after hearing a lot of other people play I can tell it isn't my strongest ability. I stopped taking lessons last December, but now that I am starting to take music more seriously I am thinking about starting lessons again. I know I defiantly have a lot more work to do with my voice, but I think I am doing all I can to get better at this point. Hopefully my audition was good enough to get in, and if I get the chance to be in the concert, I will work my hardest to perform to the best of my ability.

11/29/11 Journal

Today was Tuesday, which means it is our one day of theater history. A lot of people find it a little boring, but I actually think it's interesting. Even with normal history classes, people always say "Why do we need to learn this, it's the past." I guess I kind of used to think like this too, but since starting theater history this year I finally know why. We need to know the things that lead up to how we live today. In today's lesson, we learned about naturalism. Naturalism was influenced by Charles Darwin and his theory in his book, Origin of Species, that genetics play a big part in peoples actions. Naturalists were very against Melodrama and Romanticism.

11/28/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. Since my major is design, I went to dance today to help with their show coming up. This marking period will defiantly be different than the last. Not all of us will be together everyday, which is something that will take some getting used to. Also, I wont be focusing on my acting as much, which is new. Today, Christa and I cut out leaves that will be used in the dance show. It isn't what I expected to be doing, but I know that in the long run it will only benefit me by learning absolutely every aspect of  the performing arts program at the school, which isn't something that all of the freshman will get to do.

11/28/11 Journal

Today was technically the first day of the marking period. We started our majors today, which meant not all of us were together as usual. Since my major is design, I went with Miguel, Christa, and Zack, who are production majors, to dance. We will be helping out with the dance show coming up in December. As of now, we will be there on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  

11/23/11 Participation

Participation: 100

Ever since last week, I have been thinking a lot more about my senior showcase. Since the beginning, Brett and I have talked about collaborating. Today we came up with the idea of doing a concert performance showcasing musical theater songs. We are aware that musical theater isn't what we are working on in the program, but we are hoping to not only showcase our performing ability, but also focus on the directing and design portions. Since Brett will be minoring in dance, he would choreograph the numbers that need to be. I work work on design, since it is my major as of now, and also musical direct since I have vocal training. We would both direct and block the numbers.

11/23/11 Journal

Today was a half day because of Thanksgiving break. We had a shortened class, but we got to stay an extra period. We talked about a few different things, but mostly we talked about the basics about the class for the new students that entered the program. We also talked about differences between the first marking level, and what the second marking level will be like. We will be starting our majors and minors this marking period. As of now, my major will be design and my minor will be acting. I will be working with Ms. Mack, for her dance show in December. I think it will be a good experience working in a different part of the Performing Arts school, but still doing what I love to do. Since design isn't always just costumes, I will also learn more about set and light designs which also seem very interesting to me.

11/22/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. Being at the bottom of the list for open scenes wasn't exactly a great experience, but I consider it a lesson for future scenes and performances. It wasn't much of a surprise to me, because I did have a difficult time with the scene from the beginning and even Zari said it wasn't exactly the easiest scene. When I got my feedback, none of it was anything new. I knew that I was a little tense during the performance. It was probably because I was a little nervous about being graded on it, which is something that I will defiantly work on. I will take all the criticism that I got from today and make sure that my next final marking period grade is better than this one.                          

11/22/11 Journal

Today was Tuesday, which is usually our theater history day. Instead, we had our final for the marking level. We had to perform our open scenes in front of the class, and we were graded from worst to best. Unfortunately, I was ranked the lowest. I know the mistakes I made, and I know what I have to work on next time. I got to see my other classmates perform, and it was good to see the differences in their scenes than in mine. It as also very interesting to see Dylan and Allison perform there monologues, because I got to see what I looked like back in February when I auditioned for the program.

11/21/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. It was really nice going back to acting today, even though teching for the Senior Showcase was a great experience for me. I learned a lot more about backstage things and how your maturity level has to change. I learned how to really make time for the important things when I got home. I didn't waste one second last week, which I was really proud of. I started to question why I was here and is this really what I wanted to do. I thought about it for a long time and I told myself that I couldn't imagine myself being anywhere else right now or doing anything else with my life. I'm willing to work as hard as I can so I can make it to my senior showcase.

11/21/11 Journal

Today was Monday, which meant it was our acting day. It was the first one we have had in a while, because we have been working on the Senior Showcase for the past few weeks. Everyone got an extra day to work on our open scenes, which I was very thankful for. Zari and I ended up changing our given circumstances, which turned out to make the scene ten times better. I feel like I am acting more truthfully and I have clear tactics and objectives, which were not very clear before. I am very confident with my scene and I hope to do very well tomorrow.

11/4/11 Participation

Participation: 100

For my participation grade, I desinged a costume for a play that Brett and I are writing. It is a modern day Beauty and the Beast. I designed the costume for Bella (Belle). I am still working on how to draw bodies less cartoon-ish and more realistic and detailed

11/3/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. Robbie and I worked really hard in the costume loft picking things out for Zari's show. All we really had to do was improve what we did yesterday. Also, a costume that we just designed for fun yesterday is actually going to be in Zari's show because she liked it a lot. I am really exited to be assisting the professional costume designer that will be working with us during mainstage. I think it will be such a good experience to learn from a professional about what I hope to be doing in the future.

11/3/11 Journal

Today was Thursday, which is normally our acting day. Instead, we were teching again for the senior showcase. Robbie and I worked on costumes again. We got Zari's feedback, and she really liked the costumes. We just needed to change small details. We got to see how the costumes looked on the actors, which was helpful because we got to see what looked good and what didn't look good. After we designed, we noticed a lot of the costumes weren't bagged. We spent the rest of our time bagging costumes. For fun, we also put together a few costumes for shows that we liked.

11/2/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. Instead of teching with the other freshman, Robbie and I put together costumes for Zari's senior showcase. I really enjoyed it because it was the first time we got to be a little more independant when it came to putting things togther. Zari said that they were genius and amazing, which I am really proud of. Robbie and I also organized the costume loft a little bit better. I honestly really love everything about costume designing, and I think that I am good at it and can go far with it. Robbie and I have been talking about asking to do costumes for mainstage this year. We know that it is a big responsibility, but we work well together and think that it will be a really good experience for the both of us.

11/2/11 Journal

Today was Wensday, which meant it was our production day. I'm pretty sure we will be doing production everyday up untill the senior showcase. Robbie and I spent the whole 2 periods putting together costumes for Zari's senior showcase. Our job was to create 2 outfits; One outfit for Scarlett's character that consisted of a white top with a long skirt. The other outfit was for Brett's character which was consisted of some type of jacket and a button down shirt. Robbie and I both created 2 outfits seperatly, but did help eachother a little bit. When we were done with the costumes, we decided to organize the costume loft, because parts of it were a little messy. After that we decided to collaborate and put together a costume that we thought would look good for Scarlett's character.

11/1/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. We teched for the senior showcase today, which was interesting and different than what we normally do. When jobs needed to be done I made sure I was one of the first people to voulinteer. I would say that I helped get a lot done. Robbie and I got picked to help Zari with her costumes for senior showcase, which I am really happy about. Robbie and I work really well together when it comes to costume design because for the most part we have the same opinions about what thing would and wouldn't look good together. I'm glad that i'm being trusted more with certain things and I am learning a lot more about the things that happen behind the scenes in theater, which is really importent.

11/1/11 Journal

Today was Tuesday, which meant it was supposed to be our theater history day. Instead, we spent the whole 2 periods teching for the senior showcase. I did small jobs like help move things for a little while, which accualy got a little difficult at times, since i'm not exactly the strongest person ever. I did like that I got to do something different today. Robbie and I are now in charge of Zari's costumes for her senior showcase which is really exiting. The both of us had a little bit of a difficult time looking for what Zari wanted, but hopefully we will have more time to look in the costume loft for more things tommorow.

10/31/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I  would give myself this grade in participation today. I worked on my scene with Zari for the first half of class, and we made a lot of progress with it. For the second half, some of us teched with Miguel. I'm not used to teching, because we havent done that in a while. I don't plan on becoming a tech, but I would still like to learn more about that part of theater.

10/31/11 Journal

Today was Monday, which meant it was our acting day. For the first half of class, I worked on my open scene with Zari. Since I seem to do better when i'm being distracted, Zari told me to do something while doing the scene with her. I think we made a lot of progress and I think I am acting a lot more truthfully than I have in the past. For the second half of class, Zack, Imani, Bre, and I helped Miguel tech while Zari, Lindsay, Ashley, and Brett worked on Zari's senior showcase. I learned a lot more about the technical parts of theater, which was interesting and different than what i'm used to

10/27/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. While doing my scene with Zari infront of the class, I learned a lot more about how lines shouldn't be pre-planned. During the second half of class, I realized why the lines aren't coming completely natural. It's because I don't know Zari very well. While doing my scene with Imani, it seemed a lot easier to be natural because she's one of my best friends. I know that while being in the program more, I will learn to get over that and how to act truthfully with people I don't know so well.

10/27/11 Journal

Today was Thursday, which meant it was our acting day. For the first half of class, we worked on our scenes. I learned that I am over thinking my lines, and I need to let things come more naturally. When I watched Bre do her scene with Lindsay, I realized she did a lot better than me because of the bad habits I've picked up doing community theater. They always told us to pre-plan how we say our lines, which I now know is completely wrong. During the second half of class, Imani and I worked on our scenes together. It was a lot easier to do it with Imani, because she's one of my best friends and we know how to make eachother react when doing the scenes. Hopefully as I progress in the program, I will learn how to do that without being close friends with someone.

10/26/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. For the past few days, Brett and I have been working on a play idea. We are going to produce a modern day Beauty and the Beast show. We have been working on it together for the most part. This morning we came up with all of the character names and descriptions. While the seniors and Brett were doing table work for Zari's senior showcase, I worked on costumes for the show. Robbie helped me with sketches, and I worked more on them when I got home today.

10/26/11 Journal

Today was Wensday, which meant it was supposed to be our production day. Instead, we did acting since we haven't in a while. For the first half of class, we got to watch some of the class do their scenes. We learned that a big mistake we are making is we can tell people are looking at us, which makes us act more fake than we normally would. We got to see a German dance video compared to a Beyonce music video, which had the exact same dances but were presented differently. The German dancers acted a lot more naturally while the dancers in the music video did not. During the second half of class, I worked on my scene on my own a little bit, since Zari was doing table work. Robbie and I also sketched some costume ideas for a play that Brett and I are working on together.

10/25/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. During our discussion on a thesis paper, I asked questions and participated in the discussions. I answered a few questions and now I am a lot more clear on what I have to do to get a good grade on my thesis paper

10/25/11 Journal

Today is Tuesday, which meant it was our theater history day. We talked about our MLA style thesis paper due in November. I understand what I have to do a lot more and hopefully the notes I took today will be helpful when I start writing my paper. We also discussed the differences between a good thesis and a bad thesis. A good thesis has a good counter-argument and can be proven right or wrong.

10/24/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for today. While working on my scene with Zari, I think I have improved a lot. In the beginnig when Zari would make me do weird things, I was really confused. Now i'm starting to see that it is helping me improve my scene. I helped Scarlett with her costumes for senior showcase, and I had a lot of fun putting things together. In 4 years I could honestly see myself as a costume designer.

10/24/11 Journal

Today was Monday, which meant it was our acting day. For the first period of class, Zari and I worked on our open scene. Zari has come to the conclusin that by doing weird things, my objectives become a lot clearer when I talk. I did things such as jumping jacks, streches, and running in place while doing the scene and it was a lot better than when I was just standing there. Hopefully the next time we present the scenes I will do a much better job than last time. During the second period, Robbie and I helped Scarlett put together costumes for her Senior Showcase film. It was my first time working with costumes this year, and I can honestly say I had a lot of fun doing it. I honestly think that costume design will possibly be my major. With more time and practice I think I can become really good at it.

10/19/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. During our discussion on the repitition exercize, I asked questions. When we were working on the open scenes I volunteered to go and I listened to the feedback I got from everyone else.

10/19/11 Jounal

Today was Wensday, which meant it was supposed to be our acting day. Instead, we did acting because we haven't done it in a while. We discussed the repitition exercize and how it is helpfull. We also worked on our open scenes, which I struggeled with a little bit because I wasn't completely sure what my objective was for my first few lines. I think it's because the lines aren't something I would say, but hopefully working on it a little more will help me say the lines as realistic as I can. During the second hald of class, we did the Misner exersize with a parter. I worked with Brett, which was easier for me to do because he is one of my closest friends and I had more things to say to him then a senior, who I ususally do it with.

10/18/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. During the open discussions, I asked questions and shared my opinions. I also added to the debates when one of my other classmates didn't agree with me. I think that I learned a lot during today's lesson.

10/18/11 Journal

Today was Tuesday, which meant it was our theater history day. We had an open discussion about the question "Should art always show the good triumphent?" I answered No, it shoudn't. I think that if art alwats showed that, people would be delusional about life. Everyone would that good always wins, which as we all know isn't true. We also talked about the question "Should art follow morals." Honestly, I don't really know the answer to that because after today's discussion i've come to the conclusion that moralsdiffer depending where you are. I did learn a lot during today's lesson, and I think that debating is something I can become god at.

10/17/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. During the first half of the class, I participated a lot in the discussions about the stages of a show, and about the Non-Profit and For-Profit theater. When I was a little confused I didn't hide it and I completely understand the topics now. During the second half of class I worked on my scene with Zari and did everything I was supposed to do.

10/17/11 Journal

Today was Monday, which meant it was our acting day. For the first half of class we talked about the differences between For-Profit theater and Non-Profit theater. For-Profit theater is Broadway and Off- Broadway shows that are funded by investors. Non-Profit theaters are funded by donations and focus more on the art of theater rather than the money aspect. We also talked about the different stages of a show. A show first starts off as a script, then it is read, then is produced into some type of performance, then if it makes it past that it goes off Broadway, and then it goes on Broadway. I learned that the type of theater we will be doing will be Non- Profit. The second half of class I worked on my scene with Zari. I really got to focus more on creating my character and the objectives. We also are starting to make our character relationships a little more clear. I think it is coming a long a lot better all I need to do is work with Zari more in class and over e-mail.

10/13/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. During the time when the scenes were being performed, a made a lot of comments and asked questions. I payed attention to the advice that was being givin to the other students and what was being said to me. Hopefully by listening the comments that were made to me today, I will be able to work on the scene a little bit more and will be able to perform it to the best of my ability.

10/13/11 Journal

Today was Thursday, which meant it was our acting day. We got to work on our open scenes with the seniors. It was also the first time I got to see the other scenes performed. It was interesting to see what mistakes people were making because I am probably making those mistakes too. My scene with Zari is really confusing to the both of us, which is probably why we aren't performing it to the best of our abilities. Hopefully we will get to work on that a little bit more and figure out more of what we are trying to do. The activity we did toward the end of the class was also interesting to watch. One person had to stand infront of the class while everyone else sat and watched them. I am honestly glad I didn't do it, because the people who did looked very uncomfortable and nervous.

10/12/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation for the day. The seniors told us about their showcase and how we will be a big part of it. I volunteered to do every job that they said we might need to do which included sound, housework, lights, and sets. I also asked a lot of questions about each job and about what the seniors did when they were freshman. I also am planning on helping Lindsay with her show in New York when I get permission from my parents.

10/12/11 Journal

Today was Wednesday, which meant it was supposed to be our production day. Instead, the seniors discussed the senior showcase and what the freshman will be doing. We will be teching the whole show, which I am exited about because it's something I have never done before. The parts we will be doing will include sound, lights, housework, and sets. I would be happy doing any of these things, just because it's something new. The seniors described what they would be doing, and it made me even more exited for when I am a senior. I wasn't aware that we were allowed to do concerts, and since music is what I have been involved in all my life, I think I will want to incorporate it into what I will be doing somehow. Lindsay mentioned how she needed help with her show in the city, and if my parents give me permission I will definetly try to help out with that. Scarlett told us how she designed costumes for mainstage in her freshman year, and I hope to get more adivce from her so I could do that this year. I have always been interested in costumes and if acting doesn't end up being my major, costume design is definetly my second choice.

10/11/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation today. We were in film class, and I was an extra in the senior's film. Even though I didn't have a big part in it, I still feel like I learned a lot from this class. I learned how different film is from theater. I payed attention to everything the seniors were saying to the people who were acting in the films. Hopefully I will get to act in one of the films one day.

10/11/11 Journal

Today was Tuesday, which meant it was supposed to be our theater history day. Instead, we were in the film class helping the seniors with their films. Even though I was only an extra in the film, it was interesting to see how being in a film was different than being onstage. I was honestly never sure about weather I wanted to act in theater or in TV/Film. Hopefully while i'm in the program I will figure out which one I would prefer.

10/6/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade in participation today. During our discussion on the Swimming in the Shallows rehersal, I asked a few questions that I have had since last night. I listened and understood the differences between metaphor and comparison. When I worked on my scene with Zari, I listened to the constructive critisizm I got and I will make sure I dont make those mistakes again in the future.

10/6/11 Journal

Today was Thursday, which meant it was our acting day. We spent the first half of class discussing last night's Swimming in the Shallows rehersal that we sat in on. While I was watching the rehersal it almost felt like I was watching real people's lives. The acting was great and I hope that I can act that truthfull as I learn more. We discussed the differences between comparison and metaphor, which we related to the shark in the play. During the second half of the class, I worked on my open scene with Zari. She taught me that when memorizing a script, dont act it out fully when your by yourself. It will mess up the chemistry you have with the other person because you will already have a set way of how your saying lines and it wont always make sence with how the other person talks. From now on I will read in a monotone voice when memorizing scripts.

10/4/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. I helped sew things onto a black piece of fabric that will be used as a prop in Swimming In The Shallows. I think I did a decent job sewing and hopefully everything I did will be ok for the show. I think sewing today was good practice for when I do costume design next marking level

10/4/11 Journal

Today was Wensday, which meant it was supposed to be our Theater History day. Instead, we helped work on a set piece for Swimming in the Shallows. We helped glue and sew items onto a black piece of fabric for one of the scenes. It was interesting because we got to see what we would be doing if we were working on the sets for a show. I got to sew, which was a good experience for me since I want to do costume design next marking level, but also bad because I didn't do a very good job and I stabbed myself a few times! I haven't sewed in a while, so hopefully I will get better at it.

10/3/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. While other students were setting up for their 2 minutes of reality, I participated in the repitition exercize with Scarlett. I learned that I need to let things affect me more and react more to what someone says to me. I also performed my 2 minutes of reality which was an interesting experience.

10/3/11 Journal

Today was Monday, which meant it was our acting day. I got to perform my 2 minutes of reality infront of the class and watch some of my other classmates. I honestly thought it was going to be a little scary, but once I was up there with all of my things from my room around me, I felt like I was in my room. I didn't really notice that I had an audience while I was laying there which made it easier for me to pretend I was home. I think that I performed my 2 minutes of reality as truthfully as I could. I was the last one to go, which was a good thing for me because I got to see the mistakes that other people made and the things that other people did to make their scene believeable.

9/28/11 Journal

Today was Wensday, which meant it was supposed to be our production day. Instead, we had our first introduction to the film program at MCVTS. We learned about the program iMovie11, which was very interesting. We also got to see a short film done by the film teachers former student. It was interesting to learn about how people in the film industry work. I also learned about the iMovie program, which I knew nothing about before. By being in the film class today, I appreciate the people who are behind the camera a lot more because their job is just as hard, if not harder, than the actors job. I hope we get to participate in the film class again.

9/27/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. During our theater history lesson, I payed attention and took notes on all of the topics being taught. I activily participated in the discussions, even though I was a little confused at times. I thought the topic about physcology was really interesting and I would like to learn more about it in the future.

9/27/11 Journal

Today was Tuesday, which meant it was our theater history day. We continued our discussion about realism and melodrama, and how they differ from romanticism. We got into detail about what changed people's point of views while writing plays. Charles Darwin changed people's views of where we came from by introducing his theory of evolution. This theory showed that humans weren't as superior to nature as we thought we were. We also learned how psyhcology added to the change from romanticism to realism. Psychology shows that good and evil aren't completely two seperate things. Sometimes people do bad things for good reasons. It really made me think about the differences between right and wrong. We compared this to the play we are reading right now, A Doll's House. The main character, Norah, commited a few offenses that we couldn't really classify as right or wrong. One thing that I found interesting in today's lesson was the three parts of the brain. The ID, the ego, and the super ID. It really made me think about the whole topic of psychology and how interesting it is.

9/26/11 Participation

Participation: 90

I would give myself this grade in participation for today. I payed close attention to all of the "two minutes of reality." performances, and I helped other students move around props. I also voluntieered a few times to do the impulse activity infront of everyone. I learned more about being less uptight after watching how different the seniors were doing the activity than the freshman.

9/26/11 Journal

Today was Monday, which meant it was our acting day. We started the "two minutes of reality." assingment today. and I got to see what everyone does in the morning. It was really interesting to see how much I believed each of my classmates while they were performing. It also gave me a lot of information about what I should and shouldn't do during my performance next monday. I think that most performances were believeable because the objective of the assingment was to behave truthfully. While people were setting up, we also did the impulse activites that we have been doing for a few weeks now. This time, I really got to see how much of a wall some of the freshman have right now. We are nervous to say what we really feel because we don't know what the outcome may be. I think as we get to know eachother better, this activity will start to become a lot easier.

9/22/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. I worked really hard while I was working on my scene with Zari. She gave me a lot of advice on the scene and acting itself. One thing I learned was to really pretend you are in the characters shoes, and dont really think of it as playing a part. Hopefully by next week I will have my scene perfected and ready to be performed.

9/22/11 Journal

Today was Thursday, which meant it was our acting day. I spent class working on my open scene with Zari and Nafis. Zari and I compared both of ideas for the scene, and by the end of the day it was a lot better than when we started. I learned a lot about acting truthfully and how adding objectives to the scene really helped out a lot. I added a lot of little notes to my script which should help me perform the part easier and more truthfully.

9/21/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participaion today. I helped Ms. Aladren block her show, Swimming in the Shallows. I learned a lot about what blocking really is and it was interesting to learn about the show. After today's class I know more about blocking, and now i'm also really exited to see the show on the 15th.

9/21/11 Journal

Today was Wednesday, which is normally our production day. Instead, we helped block Ms. Aladren's show, Swimming in the Shallows. I stood in for Barb, while Ashley read the lines for the character. I really got to learn more about blocking. In community theater, blocking was a little stressfull because directiors would be telling you exactly where to stand and how to move your arms. Today I learned that you do have a little bit of a say in how your blocking is. One of the most important things I have learned in the program so far is not to be so fake when acting, and in community theater that was the number one thing we were taught. It's a little hard breaking bad habits, but I know it is going to help me out so much in the long run.

9/20/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. I helped Lindsay, Ashley, and Nafis make a poster about costume design for open school night tonight. I had to go through magazines and cut out pictures of interesting costumes from different shows. I feel like I helped a lot and got a lot done during the little time we had.

9/20/11 Journal

Today was Tuesday, which meant it was supposed to be our theater history day. Instead, we helped decorate the classroom for open house later tonight. Lindsey, Ashley, Nafis and I made a poster about costumes. I had to cut out pictures from magazines that showed theater costumes, and we made a collage of all the pictures. Today we also had to make a list of our goals for the year. My goals included getting A's and B's in all my classes, get higher than a C in science because it's my worst subject, exercize more, and work a lot harder in gym, because I can honestly say I dont put in much effort. Hopefully I will achieve all of these goals by June. I also got my headshot done today, which was interesting. I'm so used to smiling in every picture I take so it was different to hear "No fake smiles." That also adds to how I have to break all of my bad habits I learned in community theater. Just like pictures, nothing is supposed to be fake

9/19/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for my participation today. I participated in todays impulse activity with Scarlett, and I listened to all of the constructive critisism I recieved from it. I learned that while we were doing this activity, it is important not to think about anything. I also learned the importance of just acting on impulse and not worry about what everyone else thought.

9/19/11 Journal

Today was monday, which meant it was our acting day that we spend in the theater. We did the grid activity where we walked around the stage at different speeds and levels. We also had to do an activity with a partner where we had to say the first thing that came to mind when we looked at them. This added to last weeks lesson on impulses, and how we shouldn't think about anything when acting on impulse. It was really interesting to see what the first thing that came to someones mind at the time, and I feel like these activities are really teaching me what acting means.

9/16/11 Activity

I can see the beach and the Hollywood sign in the distance from where I am standing. I look up at the entrance of a studio. I'm trying out for my favorite show, Glee. I walk in, sit down, and look at all of the other people around me. After about an hour, my name is finnaly called to audition. I pick up my water bottle, my cell phone, and my purse and walk toward a room with a bright light shining through the doorway. As I walk toward the door, I notice another room next to it. For some reason, I decide to walk into the other room instead. I see all of the Glee cast members playing cards. They all smile at me and ask me I want to play with them. I say yes and sit down on the floor. We play cards for a while, and in the middle of the silence, Chris Colfer spills his slushie all over me! How ironic. Cory Monteith, who looks like he's in charge of the card game, yells at him and apoligizes for him. He asks me if i'm auditioning for the show and I shake my head. He smiles and tells me that I got the part. I am so confused, mostly because I havent even auditioned yet. He walked out of the room, and brought Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee, into the room. He asks me to sing, and I got the part two minutes later.

9/15/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I think that I deserve this grade in participation for today. While we were reading our scenes, I put my full attention into what Zari was telling me and Naphis. During the discussion toward the end of the class, I feel like I answered many questions and I learned a lot about the kinds of scenes we are working with. Hopefully I can put what I learned today into my scene and perform it to the best of my ability.

9/15/11 Journal

Today was our first day of reading scenes. I was paired up with Zari, who had to pick a scene for both of us to read in class. The scene doesn't reveal any information about the situation or the characters, so I have to make it up. I have already come up with my characters name, personality description, and the plot of the story. This will hopefully help me perform the part more realistically and truthfully. I also got to see some of the other students perform, which was really helpfull. By seeing what they did, I will try to build off of that when I perform my scene. I got to see students who made their scene believeable, and other students who didnt make it as believeable. By seeing the differences, I will try to relate to the lines as much as I can to make the audience believe that I am really this character.

9/14/11 Participation

Participation: 100

I would give myself this grade for participation today. I feel like I worked really hard today helping Lindsay organize and clean the costume loft. I learned a lot about the costumes and how things need to be put in a specific place. The next time I need to go up there for somthing I will know how everything should be.

9/14/11 Journal

Today was Wensday, which meant it was our teching day. I helped Lindsay organize and clean up the costume loft. It was really interesting to see all of the costumes that had been used in past shows, and hopefully will be used in future shows that i'm in. I learned that it makes a huge difference when costumes are orginized, rather than mixed together in a random order. Now, I feel like I have a better appreciation for the people who work behind the scenes and organize everything, because it really isn't as easy as it sounds. There is a place for everything and if one little thing is in the wrong place it can be a serious problem. After being around all of the costumes today, it made me feel even more strongly about choosing costume design as my major for the next marking level and maybe as my major when I leave MCVTS.

9/13/11 Participation

Participation: 85

I would give myself this grade in participation for today. I felt like I could have added more to the discusions we were having, but I was still a little nervous. I did feel like I learned a lot in today's lesson and I took down a lot of notes about romanticism, melodrama, ectc. Next theater history class, I will try to ask more questions and comment more on the topic.

9/13/11 Journal

Today's lesson was on classical theater and how the Industrial Revolution changed the way plays were written. Before the Industrial Revolution, classical theater cosisted of romanticism and melodrama. Romanticism was started in Germany by young rebels and was the first time youth started to appear in the theater world. This form of theater lasted for about 20 years. After Romanticism, Melodrama became the next popular form of theater. It consisted of very steriotypical characters and was written to please audiences. Good always beat evil, and there was always a happy ending. These were the first plays to add foreigners and special effects. For example, to make the effect of horse racing as real as possible, horses were put on treadmills and pulled across the stage. The famous broadway show, Les Miserables, was created in between the times of romanticism and melodrama.