You like to watch movies, right? Or go to a play, maybe even watch a performance on Broadway. Well there is one thing that is necessarie for those things to have, actors, actresses, play writers, directors, the list just keeps going on and on. But there is one thing all those people have in common, a passion for theatre. A passion needs to start young, as young as elementary school. Less and less schools are offering a theatre curriculum as time goes on, that means less and less of a chance for there to be a next Oscar-award winning actor or actress. This may not seem like a huge problem now. You may be thinking “Umm… I think we are set on actors right now thank you,” And your right, acting is one of the careers that you can have for the longest amount of time. But, we may not be… We need to start putting theatre programs back into schools.
Most know that a passion usually starts young. According to Backstage.com, big actors such as Oscar-nominated KEIRA KNIGHTLEY started her acting career when she was only 7 years old. Well, 7 years old usually is 1st-2nd grade, that is only 1 to 2 years
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What I’m saying is that schools across the nation should at least give their students the opportunity. Now there is no excuse to be the 9th richest country in the world, make about $3.654 TRILLION dollars a year and use the excuse that “they don't have the financial resources needed to fund each school” But yet they make enough money to fund at LEAST HALF of the schools in America, but that is a whole other topic of conversation.
I wrote this because I’m passionate about acting, I want there to be more of it in the world. In fact there SHOULD be more of it in the world. More kindness, more laughs and more joy. That all can be achievable through theatre. We NEED to give the children in school more of a chance to enjoy the magic of theatre. We MUST give ALL schools a theatre
My ambition throughout the next seven weeks: help these children escape reality by learning about the arts. Unfortunately, many of these children came from difficult home-life situations; yet, they enthusiastically prepared for the show. Sometimes it was a struggle to take on infinite tasks and others’ responsibilities while maintaining a positive environment for these children. Filled with laughter and intense hard work, rehearsals flashed by like the speed of sound. Opening day arrived. Peeking through the curtain and seeing the room’s seats quickly fill became bittersweet. It reminds me what you see after a downpour: how the rain shares a beautiful rainbow but slowly fades from the sunlit sky. Despite laborious hours, these young actors/actresses shined onstage, and the next day, the experience would end at the final curtain
Just as we cannot pinpoint the exact moment we learn our own names, I can’t recall when my love for theatre began, but it must have been around the same time. I don’t remember a time I hadn’t been fascinated by storytelling and performance. This childhood amusement only strengthened when I started going to school and we’d put on plays for parents, and started reading and discussing literature later on. To me theatre means the perfect alliance of performance, art and academics. It represents to me all the every-day aspects of life while also holding artistic value. My love for literature comes from my unwillingness to be bored.
Ever since I can remember I have loved theatre. It’s been a constant presence, and an important touchstone, in my life. However, for as long as I’ve loved theatre, I have also been ridiculed for my enjoyment of it. As a child, my interest was tolerated as something precious, something I was bound to grow out of. My parents and teachers would sit in the audience, clapping and cheering me on, all the while thinking to themselves “I bet she’ll make a great lawyer one day.” They thought, like most of society, theatre was an unnecessary luxury; a pastime for the rich and powerful, for those who didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table, or clothes on their children’s backs. Certainly not
However, due to a couple classes that I took during middle school, the joy that I orginally had for acting, and other forms of theatre, was instantly rekindled. Because of this, my love for theatre education and other forms of letting people learn about theatre impacts my day to day life in many ways. Theatre is a special place that, unfourtunately loses out to a lot of other activities because it’s just not that well known. I want there to be more people who look at a theatre department, and don’t immediately think of “To be or not to be”, or just dismiss it as a bunch of people who are too lazy to do sports. I want to hear people talk about their favorite plays like they would tv shows, be as interested in lights and sound as they would be in the apple product, and listen to musicals just like they would the most recent album from their favorite artist. The fact of the matter is, that people don’t, but advocating for the arts in high schools, in middle schools, even in elementary schools, would help change this dynamic. I one day hope to see a world where an actor on Broadway, is just as famous as an actor in Hollywood. With enough educational theatre and advocation for these types of art, this idea would become much more than
I grew up in a family of artists. My parents were singers and musicians. I began acting in shows during elementary school. As an adult, I acted in community and regional theaters. I performed in Urdu and Punjabi languages. I grew up in a culturally diverse household and community. This enabled me to relate to different personal and societal experiences, and to live out my own and other people 's stories through my acting. Also, my collaborative nature, strong sense of imagination and interest in poetry, literature, politics, public affairs and human experience has helped me play many roles effectively.
If a lifetime in theatre has taught me anything, it’s that an actor never stops learning. Relying on natural talent is a fantasy. At eighteen, I’ve done over 25 musicals and plays, but the first time I participated in a show that wasn't at a school or summer camp I had been going to for years, I was blown away at how little I actually knew about what it takes to be a professional performer-- but it finally felt like art. It needed skill and practice beyond repetition and praise. I pushed myself to be my best and honestly craved criticism because nothing felt better than improvement. Competing with others who have had little to no training did not allow me to grow into the actor I want to be: someone genuine, who tells stories and creates, who
Before my senior year of high school, I was a very shy, closed-off individual. However, my last year I wanted to change that. The primary way I sought to do this was through participating in high school theater. If I was given $10,000 and 30 days, I, Jacob Smith, would put forth these resources towards the improvement of Roxana High School’s drama department.
However, I believe that theatre is an entirely different beast, since the arts evolve like living beings. With theatre, training passes the line from beneficial to necessary. A quote I consider often, attributed to athlete Kevin Durant, is “hard works beats talent when talent fails to work hard”. There is such an immense, ridiculous amount of talent in the world that if you are not constantly pushing yourself to work harder and study new techniques, no matter how much talent you think you have, someone else will be ahead of you. Conversely, it’s a reminder that even if you think you don’t have much natural talent you can work as much as possible and surpass someone who does. A unique thing about theatre is that you don’t pause your training when you’re in a show- not only do you have to learn to act, you learn while acting as well. Anyone who’s ever been in a show can tell you that closing is a better quality performance than opening. Through the process of performing the show, you acquire new ways for your character to react, grow in complexity, and get engulfed in the story. There’s always room for improvement and change as an actor, and that’s something that has been true since the art form of theatre began, and will continue to be true forever. So many acting techniques have developed and changed just in the last century, such as the Method, the Uta Hagen, Viewpoints, Meisner, and more. Every one of these
Theatre feels like it is fading away from relevancy. Often times, theatre is dismissed at all levels, whether it is from “just” community theatre or reserved for in-laws and tourists. This means that theatre has got two options. It will either become a completely rigid institution that loses its force and relevance, or it needs to change and be able to become a powerful voice again. I think that what the theatre needs is already available and in the theatre, but not used correctly. I feel that children are some of the most important aspects of theatre and are overlooked because of archetypal child stars. Now, this does not mean I endorse productions like Rent adapted for high schools or having twelve-year old’s performing Spurt of Blood. Those sorts of plays are not appropriate and should be performed by adults. However, that also means that they should be limited to Annie. I think that children and youth actors are so beneficial because they offer the commitment, creativity, willingness, and camaraderie that is needed to change theatre into an influential strength.
Acting is a survival mechanism.Without it I wouldn't be the dramatic and sassy young lady I am today. Acting isn't an activity or a hobby to me it's a lifetime committee. If i tried to walk away my heart wouldn't allow me. It's so gratifying I can be whoever I want with a different voice, look,and personality. When I'm rehearsing I get chills up my whole body, and when I'm performing I am that character Za'Charie no longer exist. If I could write Acting a love letter I would say "Oh, My true love I love you like a fat kid love red velvet cakes."
Public schools in America have seen a significant loss of funding which in turn has caused reductions in the funding and availability of arts programs country wide. School districts have cut the programs that they believe are least useful in boosting their testing averages which begs the question: In an age where students are taught simply to take tests, does education in the arts, and more specifically theatre, have a place in today’s schools.
A craft that was thought only for the rich has been marketed to children in schools, to their parents and tickets are now more affordable. People are drawn to this style of entertainment. There are theater lingo’s like break a leg, the show must go on, dim the lights and curtain calls. I believe in times of struggle the theatre is a form of escape for the masses and has been an escape method throughout history. Theatre has continued to live on from the birth of American theatre to modern theatre and continuing on now to the future through the progression of acting, design and technology.
I’ve wanted to pursue a career in theater for most of my life. I grew up going to a lot of shows and being in all the ones I could and I can not imagine doing anything else. As for academics, taking theater classes are what I look forward to each school year. Last year though, my school administrators sent out a list of teachers that would be laid off. The list included two out of the four art teachers, my theater teacher, and numerous others who hadn’t worked at our school very long. Basically, those the administrators deemed “unessential”.
I want to learn the craft of acting and have a true foundation for everything I learn, do, and can build upon. I absolutely love to learn and believe that one of the keys to a meaningful life
More importantly acting demands actors to learn to work with others and by themselves. “Being involved in theater productions and classes demands commitment and motivation” (25 skills). Being tardy is never good in theater because it shows actors have no self discipline. “In theater they have rules that deal with everything from safety to behavior at auditions” (25 skills). Actors must know how to show their own unique personality. “Theater demands that they learn how to control your