Anand Thaker: A Concert Analysis

Standing backstage, mentally going through every measure of music for our performance, me and the other percussionists representing Prosper were about to play our three ensembles that we prepared for the North Texas Percussion Festival. With the group before us finishing their last song, we were all

The first time that I watched a performance was when I was nine. My older brother got a lead in a production and my parents forced me to go. Once the house lights turned off and the stage lights came on, I felt like it was just me and the actors. I was caught. Acting was a crime and I the criminal. The lighting, the facial expressions, the blocking, it all captured my attention, and I couldn’t let it go, I can’t let it go. When the play ended, I asked my brother what I could do to get the chance to get up on that stage and he said, “Act,” Since that day, the only thing I did was act. I looked for monologues online and started getting really involved with other people that also enjoyed theater.

As the show captivated my senses, it captured my heart, and turned from what I thought would be a trite show like the soap operas my mother enjoyed into a breathtaking experience. The dancers leaping and flipping across the stage were astonishing, and filled me with a sense of wonder. I was not consciously aware of it at the time, yet in some way, I aspired to emulate them in my own life. Now I in no way wanted to be a broadway star; however, I wished to gain even just an ounce of the talent they possessed. Exiting the theatre, I had a different attitude than when I had first gone through the doors. I had finally found something that I did not just enjoy, but that I was fervent

Sometimes a wrench can be thrown into your plans and where you end up may not be where you thought you’d end up in a million years. However, like one of the first rules of improv, going with the flow is the best way to live an unpredictable life. It’s important to dream big and have goals, but one person’s dream is not always another’s. Sometimes staying in a small improv troupe with friends is a better life path than making it onto national television, and that’s okay. There’s more than one road to happiness.

In December, I watched the televised play of The Wiz, that aired on NBC. While I have mixed emotions about this play, itself, I have a better appreciation and understanding about how a play should be presented now that I have researched the history of american musical theatre, and that is unity of the story being told, thru song, dance, and performance.

For the remainder of the month we got together three times a week to write, rehearse and iron out details of the show. That was one of the most stress filled, exciting months of my life. On one hand the pressure of the show gave us motivation to make more progress in music that i feel like i ever had in my entire life, but on the other hand that creeping feeling that we weren't going to be prepared enough by the time the show rolled around was just as constant. After weeks of stress filled practices and promoting the show to our friends and family, and around town, the night was finally

From the moment that I was cast as “Mom” in my middle schools low-budget, amateur production of “I’m a Teenager, Get Me Out of This Family,” there was nothing that could keep me from the wonderful world that is theatre. With that first production, a little seed was planted that has since grown into a deep-rooted love and passion for theatre. What I found so amazing about the theatre is its ability of reaching people from all reaches of life and creating connections and families. I believe that these connections between actors and audiences have the power to be catalysts for change and create a more understanding and empathetic community. This is why I have chosen to major in acting and dedicate my life to this craft.

Putting together the show was a whirlwind. Not only was it my first lead, I would be kissing a senior on stage. My dad asked me once if I was scared for the kiss, and I told him no, because on stage I am not

Having two pianists playing at the same time is not so common and it might be a challenge, but the experience resulted efficiently for Aaron Diehl and Dan Tepfer whose different minds and approaches to music complemented each other for an earnest performance on Thursday, April 27 at Greenwich House in NYC.

Stand-up Being The Most Authentic Form of Entertainment For as long as there has been someone valiant enough to grace the stage, there have been people willing to stop and watch. Though this stage has evolved over the centuries and become a metaphor, alluding to new media such as television and

Since tenth grade, I had always been an active member of Lights and Sound Club, a school club that worked behind-the-scene for every school performance. I mainly participated in school plays, dance shows, and some talent shows, designing lights and operating a light board, operating a sound board, and moving props backstage. I also entered the leadership council of the club in my senior year; and in that same year, I worked as a stage manager in Hairspray the musical, one of the biggest events I had ever been a part of.

It is this assignment that I owe a growth in perspective and enlightenment for plays. On October 2nd, 2015, I went to my first play in general. It took place at the Campus Inn Theater on the Rio Hondo College campus. I went into the theater and was greeted by what I presumed to be as ushers, as he handed me the night’s itinerary. A curtain was drawn and a pathway presented itself as I walked through. There I could see the stage and props already revealing itself. There was a makeshift bar with drinks and a table at center stage. Proceeding to my left where the audience would be, I found a seat and looked around. The environment was quaint as a few people were seated around me. I looked over the schedule of what plays would be showing and did not have any expectations. The room started to fill and lights dimmed and the plays began.

Although it is nothing new to me, risking on stage is something everyone struggles with. Improv pushed me out of my comfort zone, performance poetry left me vulnerable, and singing live at seven a.m. is a singer's worst nightmare. Despite initial fears, I’d say the performances went pretty well. Performance poetry was difficult. I didn’t quite have the most harmonious group. But I am glad we were able to go and preach what we did I had an absolute BLAST during the musical theatre festival. I worked my butt off to go on stage, back to booth, on stage, back to the booth, and for six hours straight. There were many technical difficulties, and I never want to hear “Sincerely Me” again, but I had a blast while performing the number I did from Book Of Mormon. My only regret is that I may have spread myself too thin. That number had so much more potential, but I had to sacrifice so much of my rehearsal time to work on lights. I’m just glad I was able to make everyone happy as best I could. I just had to do what was best for the class as a

When you walk into the theatre you are instantly swept away to another place. A place without fear. A place without any doubt. A place without burden. Whether you are in the audience for the first time or your fiftieth time. Whether you are performing for the first time or

When I was informed that I hadn’t made the cut that year, I was heartbroken. This one of many “no’s” I’d endure, pushed me to work so much harder. I put all my life into the arts, while I continued to be faced with personal struggles. I dedicated my life to my craft and wanted nothing more than to be the best I could be. When the time came around the next year, I spent weeks working on my application and reapplied for the Teen Ambassador program. I remember so vividly reading my acceptance letter and being filled with joy. As cliché as it may sound, I was crying of happiness over something I didn’t even know much about. It was as if my heart had known that my whole life would change because of this experience yet my mind just knew “free shows.”