Acting
It wasn’t really just an old script.
Sprayed with age old doodles and dates, the book lay in all its glory amidst hundreds of other aged artifacts. Yet, with its nonchalant position, it contained the power to deceive. Upon looking at it, a distinct impression was given of complete unimportance, as if it was placed there by mistake. Its wrinkled, water stained pages appeared to have nothing as compared to such priceless objects surrounding it. A picture of a rosy young girl with a blissfully serene smile, a tiny white tooth in an old plastic bag, and a chubby hand print positioned carefully on an old piece of construction paper possessed memories blatant to any passing eye. This battered script however contained many a priceless memory that others might scoff at. But I knew of its dear significance. The cover itself brought with it a wave of memory: A memory of a time that marked the beginning of a passion and a dream.
Acting isn’t a hobby for me, it’s a lifestyle. My social life, grades and health, it seems, are molded by its influence, just as my very thoughts are inundated with its aspirations and styles. While others dedicate themselves to the sweaty aggressive tendencies of athletics, my interests lay with the Dramatics. My individualism relies on my theatrical agenda. In other words, it’s what makes me, me. After all this being said, the significance of that lovely old book becomes clear, for you see, that script represented my first ever play.
The bold winding title of “Hansel and Gretel” labeled the script for what it was, and the neat sharpie in the corner that read “Julianna Donaher – Gretel 1” labeled what it would mean to me. In the weeks that followed its original distribution, the script would witness a cast hard at work. It would see several older kids make a difference, and while they might not have been the starring players they would effectively mold the minds and performances of younger members. The script would be put through rigorous memory sessions as lines were learned verbatim, and as blocking became natural it would view a production come together. Under its watchful eye the script would see the forming of friendships, habits and superstitions. But most importantly the script would be present when little outgoing J.A. became quirk y, dramatic Julianna. For with that first play came an understanding in me, of the power one can have in the theater. Acting is a way of controlling who you are at any given moment. In a crazy world, acting done right, gives you control over who you are, it provides an opportunity for the escape from reality, just as it provides foundation for confidence in everyday things. With my first play I began the path that would eventually lead me to discovering my gift, my purpose, and my identity.
As the years passed, my fascination remained with the theater and all the glorious aspects of it. As I aged it lead me to the discovery of film: A method in which the usual boundaries of theater were endless! Who’s to say a man can fly across the screen with three heads and an outer space alien on its back? In film it was all possible, a person could be anything and film would make it real.
As I matured, so did my ability to perform, and suddenly my versatility lead me to another conclusion: Let’s say you have a belief or a cause that you think the whole world should know? What better way to let them hear it then in a well-developed visually masterful film or play? As a kid, movies and TV had influenced me to feel and believe so passionately things I otherwise wouldn’t have even considered! Perhaps a position in entertainment would allow me to have the same power.
My continual love for the theater shapes everything (how I spend my time, my money, who I hang out with, what courses I take, what I watch, what I read, what I think, feel…) and I have no doubt that it will affect my future just as profoundly. Acting gave me an identity and a purpose. In a way, my life began the day I discovered theater, the day I joined the cast of Hansel and Gretel.
So you see, It really wasn’t just an old script.
