In the Beginning…
I anticipated starting my first MFA theatre education classes. For this semester, I registered in Acting and Directing and Playscript Analysis. I was curious to see how the courses would be taught, given that they are online and asynchronous. When I started receiving the books, I began reading some of them to get ahead of the reading. I had also read one of the books in Playscript Analysis beforehand, Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays, by David Ball. Before the program started, I had already begun writing some of my own plays as I find it a fun, creative outlet, and mental exercise.
The courses have been challenging but rewarding. Like many programs of this type, a lot is about what you put in and how much you will get out. One of the biggest obstacles for me has been time management. I was surprised by a completely new roster of classes at my school, none of which I had taught previously, which meant I had much preparation to do. One of the classes is a middle school English Language Arts class with over twenty students. ELA classes are notorious for being very time-consuming as students begin to write more complex and more extended essays. Therefore, I had to find the time at night to read my required readings for the MFA program and then use any free time during the day to complete the required assignments.
I have enjoyed many of the plays and books we have read. Anna in the Tropics is one of the standout plays for me. I had a personal connection as I often visited and passed through Tampa as a child. I remember seeing those cigar factories and learning about the history of Ybor City from my parents as we passed through.
Reading these scripts and analyzing them has brought my skill in playwriting to a new level. I hope schools and other organizations can perform some of my plays one day. These new playwriting skills were tested when my school tasked me (or really I volunteered) with getting all three of our schools (elementary, middle, and high) ready for a creative theatre competition. The competition requires schools to perform original scripts written by a school member. I quickly had to write three scripts for three different age groups, including a question or topic about society, culture, morality, or the environment. I blasted out about 120 pages but narrowed each script to around 20 as each performance cannot exceed 20 minutes, but ideally should be around 15 minutes. I haven't written Shakespeare or the next Tony award-winning show, but for what they are worth, I'm proud of them. It's all part of the learning process.
This is where my Acting and Directing class has come in handy. Moving from script reading to blocking and directing, I've been able to apply Stanislavski and Meisner's acting techniques directly into my competitive drama troupes and my elementary and high school theatre classes. The class has also opened the door to many questions about the nature of acting, particularly given the current Western style of natural or organic style vs. the more representational, more mechanical acting that you can see more commonly in Taiwanese television dramas and movies.
I remember reading somewhere that someone said if you are trying to recapture life and present that through your acting, what you are doing is actually making a documentary. That thought stuck with me. I tend to enjoy more mechanical acting at times. Part of that is because I work primarily on the stage, where we must emote to ensure everyone sees and hears our actions. I was not well versed in the acting schools. The course has opened my eyes to various approaches and made me more knowledgeable about them so I can use different schools to engage with my students from multiple cultural backgrounds.
I've gained a lot from the two classes I've taken so far, and I look forward to my continued growth in theatre. I also can't wait for our residency next summer.
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