Fringe Fest

This semester, I have gone extremely far out of my comfort zone with one project, the Fringe Fest. I have always been interested in the production of theater, but I solely studied it from afar or organized it backstage. I decided I wanted to try acting.

The weeks of rehearsal and stress have taught me exactly how taxing acting can be. I have never tried to mold myself into a character. I have never tried to learn lines. I have never forced myself to dance jerkily on stage in front of peers and teachers. These things terrified me.

During our first performance in front of Ms. Hargreaves, I was shaking uncontrollably. I blushed, stuttered, and staggered around the stage. However, we performed the entire thing. I didn’t die of embarrassment. No one threw fruits at us. In fact, all of the other actors and directors were incredibly supportive, giving me tips on how to calm my nerves. We practiced yoga together to get into the “flow”. I was so grateful to have found the theater niche.

With each performance, we got better. By the time we performed for the general public, we shone. I no longer shook, and my lines were forever ingrained in my memory. Our cast worked together like a well-oiled machine, and the chemistry between us all was palpable. The hours of practicing and complaining and telling dumb jokes and laughing until our stomachs hurt had brought into existence an incredible play.

Beatrice, one of my fellow cast members, and I actually wrote one of the plays we performed! It was called "Victory For All", and it consisted of wickedly witty humor and exaggerated movements. I had never written a play before. And even if I had, I never would have performed it if not for the courage I gained from the weeks of practice and encouragement.

No matter how scared you are of something, it will always be worth it in the end.