Self-Reflective Essay

My perception of theatre is that it is an opportunity that humans can transform themselves into anything they prefer. It is a place where people experiment and change their features so that they can fit different characters. It is a place where one can be what they desire as long as they engage their creative and critical thinking skills. My experiences through the course of this semester have enabled me to see things from a different perspective. Some of the experiences I have had include setting the stage and transforming it to fit the plot of a story. It helped enhance and increase the level of understanding for the audience, as they would connect with what they saw. In addition, bright colors appeal to the audiences more than dark ones as the former brings life to a situation. Lighting should also be the right amount so that all attention is on the stage and performers.

I have seen myself collaboratively creating our classroom through active engagement in discussions raised in class. It helped create interest in me by knowing that my active participation meant that I would share what I knew with the rest of the class while I would gain more when the rest of the class commented on different items. In addition, I was collaboratively creating our relationships by giving out my suggestions on how to improve the class in the future and make it more interesting for other students who go through this course. My strengths in collaboration lie in my ability to critically and creatively think. I helped develop some ideas like allowing the students a chance to guide the rest of the class in one lesson per week. It would help create confidence for all theater students, as they would practice standing in front of crowds, which is a preparation for the future. However, I need improvement in my ability to stand in front of large crowds and do what I do best in dancing. I need to lose myself in my mantra as I dance and entertain the crowds while knowing that people are enjoying what they see as opposed to them judging me.

I will continue to practice collaboration by engaging with the lecturer and students. I will ask questions about areas that I do not understand so that I can get a chance to know things from a different perceptive. I will also use my creative skills to design costumes that I could wear as I dance which will help an audience focus on the costumes and art of dancing as opposed to laying their attention on me as a performer. My fears and biases have transformed in the past; I assumed that artists do not need practice. This is misplaced because one must go through constant training and perfect their skills if they want to remain effective in the world of art. It is important to also learn from mistakes done in the past and commit to working on them to help improve skills.

I have learned that art is easy and uses the imaginative power of an individual to create a scene. Actors on stage must be in a position to reveal and show their emotions depending on the context and type of play they act. On stage, one can be any character they want as long as they are in a position to emulate and act like their object. In addition, theater allows people with artistic interest including music, speech, dances, and gestures to experiment with their creativity. Elements of art help enhance the sight on stage, which helps focus the attention on a performer. Further, either performance can be from one person or in a group depending on the type of presentation, they have. The goal of theater performances has entertained the audience. I also learned that one could do theoretical acts and pursue it as a career as long as one understands what they want in life. Careers in art and theater are diverse, and one can pursue more than one performance that will help them earn good incomes. For instance, one can be a dancer and engage in singing.My personal goals this semester was to gain knowledge from different sources and perceive how it will benefit my life in the long-term. Therefore, I intended to understand the different careers in theater, and the training one needs to go through before they venture in art. I also wanted to know whether pursuing art in theatres as a career would sustain me in the future and whether one learns how to perform or it comes as an inborn gift. This class helped me achieve these goals as it demystified the relevance and notion attached to art. I learned that it is possible to pursue a profession in art and focus on theater performances as I can combine it with other acts like dancing and singing. For some people, art is inborn while others it is an acquired skill.