Blog 23 - Senior Project Reflection

Positive Statement

• What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project?
• I'm extremely proud of the examples I used throughout my presentation. My subject wasn't the easiest to grasp but the examples really helped enhance my presentations understandability. However, I am also overall proud of how my entire presentation and project went as a whole because it was almost flawless in a sense that I enjoyed doing it, I did all the work I was required to do well, and it all tied together with an amazing presentation.

Questions to Consider

• What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?
• AE
• What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project?
• P+/AE

What Worked

• What worked for you in your senior project?
• I think my independent components really helped me test out my different answers. They let me explore theatre acting first-hand. The other thing that worked for me was my second mentorship. My mentor Chip Healy allowed me to direct an act of their play which was an amazing opportunity. This mentorship let me implement my knowledge I've gathered throughout the year into the act I was directing. These two things helped me gain experience within my topic and helped me justify my answers.

What Didn't Work

• If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
• I would've been more impulsive to find another mentor after I lost contact with my first one. Not having a mentor for a while greatly affected my ability to get answers and more information on my topic. If I would've found another mentor right away, this would've been avoided.

Finding Value

• How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?
• My senior project topic specifically allowed me to learn a lot about the profession I intend to go into. Although researching the character building methods that my EQ was based on, I also learned a lot about the business of theatre which is extremely important to know. The book "Acting is Believing" by Charles McGaw helped me learn about the theatre business and why it is so important. Besides my research giving me more knowledge on my topic, my second mentor, Chip Healy, was a huge help for getting me to get more experience within theatre. Even if the time I spent with him was short, he provided me with opportunities and encouragement that have driven me even more to pursue my career within theatre.

Blog 22 - Mentorship

Literal

• My mentorship hours log can be found by clicking here, or clicking on the link that says "Senior Project Hours Log" on the right had side of my blog.
• Mentorship Information
• Julian White
• CalPoly Pomona
• Chip Healy
• South El Monte High School

Interpretive

• What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
• I believed that the most important thing I gained from this experience was the overall knowledge on my topic. This is because my mentors provided me with information I may have never found out about on my own. Since my mentors were very experienced, they not only taught me about the meaning and importance of character building (which is what my entire senior project is based on), but they also taught me that acting is a business, not just entertainment. They taught me that actors must be able to be skilled in many things within theatre, dance, music, and especially business and economics. This knowledge that they have provided me will be able to help me in the future when I am trying to pursue my career in acting, which is incredibly valuable to me.
• Here are some pictures from my first mentorship with Julian White:

• Here is the only picture I was able to take in my mentorship with Chip Healy:

Applied

• How has what you've done helped you to answer your EQ? Explain.
• No matter what I was watching or directing within both of my mentorships, the ideas of character were always there. My mentors stressed to me the importance that a performance is nothing without the realistic characters. While doing things such as directing act 2 of La Casa de Bernarda Alba, I was able to work with the cast in order to perfect their character. With Julius Caesar, I was able to watch professional actors in person to see how they do their character building process. Everywhere I went, character was there. However, having to pick a specific character building method was difficult, until I noticed that within both mentorships, the cast would always begin with the psychology of a character. This showed me that the most important part of character building is the psychology, making the Stanislavski Method my best answer for its in-depth work on the inside of a character.

Exit Interview

1. What is your essential question and what are your answers? What is your best answer and why?

• EQ
• What is the most effective method a theatre actress can use in order to best build her character?
• Answers
• The most effective method a theatre actress can use in order to best build her character is the Stanislavski Method.
• The most effective method a theatre actress can use in order to best build her character is the Meisner Technique.
• The most effective method a theatre actress can use in order to best build her character is the Chekhov Technique.
• Best Answer
• My best answer is the Stanislavski Method because it is the only method that really goes in-depth with the psychological characteristics of the character the actor is supposed to portray. The psychology of the actor's character is one of the most important parts of character to build because it is what's going to create the realism the actor needs to fulfill the purpose of theatre. The psychology will then lead on to creating real actions, mannerisms, and connections.

2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

• The process was very simple, I took the knowledge I knew from my past experience and independent components, the knowledge I had from my mentors, and the information I got from my research, I can to the conclusion that what really creates realism in acting is the psychological characteristics of the character. Without the psychology of the character, the character would a cliché which is unappealing to audiences.

3. What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?

• I only had one problem I had to overcome. The first was that I had a mentor from July-October. After that, he didn't have anything for me to do and he would hardly ever reply to my emails. Luckily from August-October I was able to fit in 48 hours of mentorship. To fix this issue, I had to find a new mentor. I asked my dad if he knew anyone that could help me, and he introduced me to his co-worker Chip Healy, the drama teacher/director at South El Monte High School. Mr. Healy is an amazing and encouraging mentor. He has taught me so much about my topic and encourages me to start getting into the business.

4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

• One of my most useful sources was my mentor Chip Healy. He talked a lot to me about what makes theatre and acting so meaningful and important. He gave me many tips on character building and his take on the methods I decided to use. A lot of the information he gave me during Interview 4 was about important aspects when character building, leading me to picking my best answer.
• The other source that was significant was actually three different books written by Constantin Stanislavski. An Actor Prepares, Building Character, and Creating a Role, all gave me in-depth information on the Stanislavski Method while explaining how it fulfills the meaning of theatre. They helped me because they had everything I needed to know about the method and provided valid reasons as to why it works so effectively, helping me choose it as my best answer.

Independent Component 2

Literal

• A
• I, Iliana Solorzano, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 70 hours of work.
• B
• Sharma, Shaan. "12 Steps to Consistently Brilliant Performances, Part 1." Backstage.com. 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
• Sharma, Shaan. "12 Steps to Consistently Brilliant Performances, Part 2." Backstage.com. 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
• Sharma, Shaan. "12 Steps to Consistently Brilliant Performances, Part 3." Backstage.com. 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
• Tobolowsky, Stephen. "5 Simple Questions to Create a Performance." Backstage.com. 28 Nov. 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
• Wallace, Craig. "How to Fully Embody a Role." Backstage.com. 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
• C
• To see my Senior Project Hours Log, click here, or click on the link that says "Senior Project Hours Log" on the right hand side of my blog. My independent component 2 hours will be at the bottom of the spreadsheet.
• D
• My independent component 2 consisted of putting together, directing, and performing, in a 10 minute performance of Seussical! The Musical in order to perform it for the Fullerton College High School Theatre Festival in March. We had a cast of 14 and it was one of the most amazing performances IPoly has had in a while. I am extremely proud of the entire cast and of the amazing scores we received on the days of the competition.

Interpretive

• My strongest evidence was the night we performed at Fullerton Pre-Show. There, with the rest of the drama club going to the competition, performed our competitive pieces to which received great audience reactions. I also have photos from the pre-show and a couple of other pictures from the competition. There's also a video, sadly it doesn't include the opening number.

• One of the significant parts of my independent component was the first time we put everyone into costume. It was the first time that my classmate and I had done any sort of costuming and it was a really fun experience to go shopping for costumes and putting them all together. Another highlight was when we finally put together all of our songs and kept rehearsing the entire number. It was an amazing feeling to finally have the piece finished and looking so amazing. The final highlight was from the second day of the competition. Our CD for the music wasn't working the first day so we were prepared to use our extra speaker. We had no problems performing and we put on a really great performance. However, on the second day, we were prepared to use our extra speaker but apparently that was against the rules. They allowed us to perform and get judge's notes but not be ranked. We were all extremely disappointed and furious at the ridiculous rule, but we had our best performance nonetheless. After the performance, we received our scores. I could not be more proud of the almost perfect scores we received. In all honesty, if we weren't disqualified, we probably would have made it to finals. I'm so proud of my cast and I hope the festival changes their backwards rule so no incident like this ever happens again. The competition is based on our performance. Not if our music works or not.

Applied

• This independent component helped me answer my EQ because I had to get in touch with my character Gertrude. I tried to implement some of the methods I learned about and it really worked. I felt as if I really connected with my character because we had a lot of the same qualities and experiences, allowing me to portray Gertrude more realistically. One example is where we had to explain to the cast that if they don't become their character onstage, the performance wouldn't be as great as it could be. After we told them that, their characters really stood out and made the performance bigger. I really felt as if I became Gertrude, meaning that the character building methods really worked and made the performances more fun and realistic.

New Mentorship!

After not having talked to my original mentor since October, I have finally found a new mentor who is extremely happy to have me working with him! My new mentor is Chip Healy. He's a math teacher and the drama teacher at South El Monte High School. I found him through my dad who works in the same school. I had told him about my troubles with my mentorship and he directed me to Mr. Healy.

What Mr. Healy allowed for me to help out with was something really big. He is giving me the opportunity to direct act 2 of their play, La Casa de Bernarda Alba. He wants act 2 to be reader's theatre instead of actually performing the scenes. This means that the actors sit down and read off of their scripts in-character. However, this has been proving to be difficult because this play wasn't meant for reader's theatre. I hope to try and create something in which I can make the act look the least awkward possible. It's a challenge I am sure I can overcome.

Mr. Healy is truly a great mentor. During my interview 4, he gave me a lot of tips, stories, and information I can use for my final presentation. He's a really fun guy and I'm so thankful for the opportunity he is providing me.

The Drowsy Chaperone - Play Review

Every year after the Fullerton College High School Theatre Festival, the college invites us to watch their production at the time. Freshman year we watched Cabaret (which is absolutely amazing musical), sophomore year was Assassins, junior year was Noises Off, and this year we got to watch The Drowsy Chaperone. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect of this show because I had only vaguely heard of it. Even my drama teacher Mr. Hogan had no idea of what this play/musical was about. However, this was most likely the best show I've seen at Fullerton College. The Drowsy Chaperone was an amazing musical within a play that was extremely funny, full of all kinds of talent, and surprisingly dramatic.

A Bit of Background
The play begins with the main character, Man in Chair, beginning to talk to the audience about the theatre and how he hates it. He then goes on to explain how he loves to listen to musicals because it calms him down (he also hints at having mental problems and how he has to take medication). He puts on his favorite musical ("The Drowsy Chaperone") vinyl on his record player and throughout the musical numbers, guides us through what the musical is all about in a very comedic way. It's a rather bad musical, but the play goes on to its dark ending tying up all loose ends about the musical and the story of the Man in Chair.

Acting
Everyone's acting within the play was phenomenal. The cast was full of lively characters and everyone played them very well. However, the one who stood out to me was Man in Chair. This actor had a huge challenge to play a character that was altogether comedic and very sweet, but at the same time had to be very dark and portray a mental illness. His true emotion and realism is what caught my attention and he was overall an enjoyable character that had a really awesome bond with the audience.

Singing and Dancing
The three songs that stood out to me were "Show Off", "Toledo Surprise", and "I Am Adolpho". The other songs were amazing, but these songs stood our for their own specific reasons.

I love "Show Off" so much because of it's range and how well the actress sang the song. The choreography was also stunning and the entire song was a lot of fun to watch and it was really enjoyable.

"Toledo Surprise" was just a really weird song. I loved the fun and silly essence the song gave off. Plus, it's two lovable gang members started it off with a really fun twist. Its choreography was amazing and that's what really made it stand out.

"I Am Adolpho" was a very strange thing to hear in a Broadway piece, especially because the song is very latin. The actor portrayed this character extremely well and overall, the performance was technically stunning and visually appealing (and also very fun to listen to).

The only dancing that stood out to me was during one of the songs where the husband-to-be and his best man tap dance. Tap dancing is extremely difficult. Especially when you are tap dancing and singing at the same time. This scene was incredibly impressive and this really caught my attention. Who doesn't love a tap dancing singer and actor right?

Technical (Lighting, Sound, Set, and Costume Design)
Not being tech savvy, I can't really comment on how the lighting or sound impressed me. However, the set was very well done and extremely effective. It was interesting to see how they changed the same set to different settings of the musical. The costumes were true to the intended time and looked really well on stage.

In Conclusion
I loved this show. Every aspect about it was amazing and I'm glad that this was my final Fullerton College show before I graduate.

Fourth Interview Questions

1. What makes someone's character real?

2. What makes someone's character enjoyable?

3. What is your opinion on the Chekhov technique?

4. Should an actor memorize their lines before building character? Or memorize lines after the character building process?

5. What are some important elements that an actor needs in order to be a "great" actor?

6. What is the most important resource during the character building stage?

7. How can an actor get rid of nerves before a show so the nerves don't conflict with their acting?

8. Do you think that recalling past emotions to create real emotions for one's character is effective? Why?

9. What should the director do if an actor is having troubles with character building?

10. What should an actor do if other actors are trying to make their character for them?

11. If you use it, what part of the Stanislavski Method do you believe gives the most help to build character? Why?

12. Who can an actor look to for help when having trouble developing character?

13. What do you believe makes a good production?

14. Which acting technique do you think is best for a beginner actor?

15. When should an actor begin to use their imagination to build onto their character?

16. Can improvisation be used to help build character? If so, how?

17. What is the best way to memorize lines when performing Shakespeare?

18. How can one more easily understand Shakespeare to be able to build character?

19. What are some important parts of line delivery that an actor should always be aware of?

20. Should an actor connect closely with their character? Why?

Blog 17 - Answer 3

1. EQ

• What is the most effective method a theatre actress can use to best build her character?

2. Answer #3

• The most effective method a theatre actress can use to best build her character is the Chekhov Technique.

3. At least 3 details to support the answer.

• Emphasizes realism and truth.
• Awakens and elaborates the actor's artistic imagination.
• Strengthens the capacity for intense inner action.
• Loosens habitual restrictions to expressive emotion.

4. Research source(s) to support your details and answer.

• Fielding, Scott. "MCASB - What's So Special About Chekhov?" MCASB. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
• "MCASB - About The Chekhov Method." MCASB. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
• "MCASB - The Ideal Actor and The Theatre of the Future." MCASB. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
• Wright, KC. "8 Acting Techniques (and the Stars Who Swear by Them)." Backstage.com. 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

5. Concluding Thoughts

• The Chekhov Technique is another acting technique used by many actors. Although it isn't my top answer, it is still a very good technique to use especially in America because our acting here is different than the ones in Russia (Stanislavski Method).

College Auditions

Other than my theatre work with my senior project, fullerton festival, and drama elective, I have been very busy trying to get into the college of my dreams. I applied to 6 colleges with my major in theatre , 3 of which I have already been accepted to (Richmond the American University in London, Columbia College Chicago, and CSU Fullerton). However, the other 3 colleges I applied to required something special from me to get into their prestigious theatre program. An audition.

Just this Valentine's Day weekend I finished up my last audition. It was a relief to be done with them. College auditions have been one of the most nerve-wracking events in my life, especially since these schools are so prestigious in their theatre acting programs. I figured I'd share my audition experiences for this extra blog post.

UCLA
UCLA asked me to prepare one Shakespeare monologue (oh fun, I had never done any Shakespeare in my life, this should be interesting) and one Contemporary monologue. They also asked I bring comfortable clothes for a "Movement Audition". Being my first audition other than one outside of Mr. Hogan's classroom, I had no idea what to expect.

First we began with the check-in and hour long orientation which was really helpful to getting to know their program and what it consists of.

Then, I had to wait about 3 hours until my group finally got to do their movement audition. The movement audition was one of the strangest things I have ever done in my life. I can't even begin to explain it. It was a lot of "letting out your inner beast" and "using your core to move around". I have no take on what to feel about this part of the audition.

Lastly, I waited about one hour to finally perform my monologue. This part of the audition was really strange. I feel like I only did okay. The auditor simply asked me to perform my two monologues in whatever order I desired, that's what I did, he said thank you, and that was it. It was simple. I feel as if he was bored but I could't tell at all.

Finally, the last part of my audition was my interview. By luck of the draw I was very last for the interviewer. You could tell how tired he was of listening to actors talk about themselves all day, and I could feel that aura coming off of him. I don't think this part went as well as it could have.

Overall, this audition was my first, so I didn't expect it to be my best. Also, the waiting was absolutely horrible. I was there from 1PM-7PM. I wish I would've done more than just okay, but hey, you win some, you lose some.

NYU
My dream school. I could not have been more excited and nervous for this audition. NYU asked for two Contemporary monologues, one comedic and one dramatic. I was ready to ace this audition.

First of all, we had the quick check in and hour long orientation on the program, what it entails, and what was going to happen during the audition.

Next, they assigned us to our auditor and our order and we went straight to our room. There we did a quick warm-up and then were sent outside to wait for our turn. When I went in there, the auditor asked me to perform my two monologues in whatever order I wished and that's exactly what I did. I felt really good about how I performed. After I did both, he asked me to go back to my first monologue and to do it a different way. I took his suggestion, and I think I did what he was asking for. Right after, he asked me to sit down for a small interview which I felt went really well. Then I was allowed to go home.

I loved this audition. Everyone was relaxed, it was quick, and the group was small. I also feel that I did really well at my audition and I felt confident for the next one.

USC
My second choice school and my last college audition. I was definitely going to make it my best. USC asked for the same thing as NYU (so that made my life way easier). It also luckily had a smaller group which meant it wasn't an extremely long audition.

First, we started off with the check-in and hour long orientation. We were then all put into three groups. My group had 1 hour to explore the campus/eat/relax/rehearse, then 1 hour for the interview, then 1 hour for the audition.

My first hour was simple. I ate something small and then went around USC to explore. It was fun exploring by myself (and luckily I didn't get lost). I got to see a lot of the architecture that all my friends who took tours there were telling me about. And in all honesty, it was really amazing. I think it was important for me to feel what the atmosphere there is like.

The next hour consisted of my interview. It was about 10 minutes long and had a lot of standard admission questions. I think it went well and I really talked about who I was as a person. Hopefully the interviewer got that too.

My last hour was the audition. It was simple. I went into the room. They asked me which monologues I was doing and told me to perform them in whatever order I wished. Once I was done, they said thank you and I was allowed to leave. Plain and simple.

I loved how relaxed this audition was. What I love about relaxed auditions like this is that they don't make you feel nervous. Something I actually noticed at all the auditions I went to was that I was one of the 1-4 Latinas at all my auditions which I thought was interesting. I was also feeling really confident about this audition. I think the auditors really liked me and I hope my confidence pays off.

Answer 2

1. What is your EQ?

• What is the most effective method a theatre actress can use to best build character?

2. What is your first answer?

• The most effective method a theatre actress can use to best build character is the Stanislavski Method.

3. What is your second answer?

• The most effective method a theatre actress can use to best build character is the Meisner Technique.

4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• Builds openness, flexibility, and listening skills
• When repeating lines back and forth between actors, the actors learn to listen, and be open to changes that one another makes throughout the exercise.
• Allows for improvement and changes within the repetition
• Repetition gives chances for actors to play with different takes on lines or character. This allows for the actor to see a variety of different ways to approach a scene.
• Allows for a response that's in the moment
• Repetition allows actors to really memorize lines thoroughly enough that the responses are automatic and sound genuine which is extremely important in acting.

5. What printed source best supports your answer?

• Meisner, Sanford, Dennis Longwell. "Sanford Meisner on Acting." 1st ed. New York: Random House, 1987. Print.

6. What other source best supports your answer?

• Wright, KC. "8 Acting Techniques (and the Stars Who Swear by Them)." Backstage.com. 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

7. Concluding Thought

• The Meisner Technique is used by many actors in this day and age. It's usually used by people who don't want to get into an extremely complicated technique but want something effective. Although it is a strong technique used by many, I still prefer the Stanislavski Method. In my opinion, this technique is very flawed in ways where it lacks some essential character structure when an actor is using this technique to build their character. However, it is still a strong alternative if one chooses not to use the complex Stanislavski Method.

Independent Component 2 Approval

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for 30 hours.

• I plan to use my entries for Fullerton College Theatre Festival as my independent component 2. Fullerton Festival is a competition where schools bring scenes, musical theatre pieces, monologues, improv teams, costume designers, set designers, and tech teams to compete against a variety of other schools. This year, I am going into the competition with 2 entries, a musical theatre piece and improv team. My 30 hours will be spent rehearsing with the groups, going to mock festivals with Mr. Hogan, and participating in the actual days of the competition.

2. Discuss how or what will you do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• For evidence, I can take pictures during rehearsals. There will also be a Fullerton pre-show where we perform all entries to Fullerton Festival that is open to the entire school that can be used as my stronger evidence.

3. Explain how this component will help you explore your topic more in depth.

• Like my independent component 1, doing these performances teach me hands-on about what actors do on and off stage. It also gives me some knowledge on directing because the musical theatre piece is directed by another classmate and I. I will even learn about costume/costume design because that classmate and I had to go find costumes for the entire group. For the improv team, I will learn more about improv and what makes a really great improv performance. Overall, my choice for my independent component 2 will help me learn all about my topic.

4. Post a log in your Senior Project Hours link and label it "Independent Component 2" log.

• To see my Senior Project Hours log, click here, or click the link titled "Senior Project Hours Log" on the right side of my blog.

Blog 14 - Independent Component 1

Literal

• A
• I, Iliana Solorzano, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 52 hours of work.
• B
• García, Risa Bramn. "21 Things That Make Casting Directors Happy in the Audition Room." Backstage Experts. Backstage.com. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.
• Kissel, Howard. "Stella Adler: The Art of Acting." Canada: Applause Books, 2000. Print.
• McGaw, Charles, Kenneth L. Stilson, Larry D. Clark. "Acting is Believing." 9th ed. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. Print.
• Vaughn, Kimberly. "4 Steps for Memorizing Lines and Developing Character Simultaneously." Backstage.com. 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.
• C
• To see my Senior Project Hours Log, click here, or click on the link that says "Senior Project Hours Log" on the right hand side of my blog.
• D
• My independent component consisted of me being in the winter production for drama club. We put on "The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon" by Don Zolidis. It was a really fun production with a really fun cast and we had amazing performances. I had to attend rehearsals and even put my own personal time aside for memorizing lines and rehearsing scenes with my scene partners.

Interpretive

• Most of my evidence consists of the days we actually performed the show in December. Most of my hours were spent in rehearsal which was very straightforward. Once we did our blocking, we just kept going over the show with and without tech. I wasn't able to take many pictures of rehearsal because we were all very busy rehearsing, but here are 3 that I was able to take and a couple that I was able to get from yearbook:

• My independent component has to do with my senior project because all of the research I have been doing I was able to use and implement into this component. It allowed me to experience and learn hands-on about everything I've been working on. It also helps me find my own personal answer to my own essential question because with every production I do, I need to build my own character/s.

Applied

• This component helped me understand the foundation of my topic because I was utilizing my topic hands-on. By being in this production, I was able to experience every aspect of what a theatre actress does such as character building, rehearsals, line-throughs, and a variety of other things. Throughout the entire process of this show, I learned a lot about my topic especially since I had all the research to add onto my experiences.

Seussical! The Musical!

For the past three months, a classmate and I have been working together to put together our piece for the annual Fullerton College Theatre Festival. Since my classmate and I have a huge passion for musical theatre, we obviously registered under the 10 minute musical theatre category. We are going in with a 10 minute compilation of Seussical! The Musical! (Yeah. THE Dr. Seuss.)

Since it's our last year at IPoly, we really wanted to make sure we shone at our final Fullerton performance. In this case, we decided to base our 10 minute piece on the story of Mayzie and Gertrude.

Our song choices include:
1. Oh the Thinks You Can Think
2. The One Feather Tail of Miss Gertrude McFuzz
3. Amayzing Mayzie
4. Amazing Gertrude

The opening song sets the mood for the entire piece. It talks about imagination and that a single "think" can create absolutely anything. This leads straight into the next song which begins the story where Gertrude McFuzz is unsatisfied with her small tail because it won't attract Horton the Elephant (who she is attracted to). The next song talks about Mayzie, a bird with extremely elegant and big feathers who says she used to be like Gertrude, but with a couple of pills from Doctor Dake, she grew a marvelous tail. The last song has to do with Gertrude going to Doctor Dake, getting the pills, and finally getting the huge tail she desires.

Although it seems like story about a girl changing herself for a man, we like to think that the theme is more about imagination and that anything can happen. We really hope to get into finals, or at least receive high markings at the competition.

Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

• I really thought that my activity was a lot of fun for people to do and watch afterwards. It also helped them grasp the idea of what the Stanislavki Method consists of.

2a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation?

• P

2b. Explain why you think you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

• I believe that I met all the basic requirements for the P grade according to the contract. From my perspective, I think that my presentation was good, but it wasn't AE worthy.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

• My organization and power point worked very well. I think that the power point really helps when trying to get all the content down, and it also helps the audience as a visual aid.

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

• My biggest problem was stress/nerves. Whenever I get really nervous I tend to speed through things and pass over content which really hurts my presentation. I would improve my presentation by most likely just rehearsing it more.

5.What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

• My answer will probably be another character building method. I'm not entirely sure WHICH one yet because there are so many to choose from and it's a big decision to make.

Blog 12 - Mentorship 10 Hours Check

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

• With Julian White at CalPoly Pomona. I haven't been able to mentor ever since October because I have been extremely busy with the school play (my independent component). Now that we've returned from break, I should be less busy and be able to finish my final hours of mentorship.

2. Who is your contact?

• Julian White

3. How many total hours have you done?

• 40

4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

• I was basically the intern for Southern California Shakespeare's production of Julius Caesar. Since I was the intern, I was allowed to watch and I helped around with many aspects within the theatre. I helped stage managers, actors, stage crew, ushers, and house managers. It was an amazing experience that taught me a lot. I also met some amazing people that gave me great advice for my acting future and career.

Blog 11 - Holiday Project Update

1. It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

• This winter break I went to Orlando, Florida to live my dream of visiting Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando as a graduation present for me from my parents. We were gone all 2 weeks of break and didn't return until the night of January 4. In this case, I wasn't able to do anything that requires work. Even if I was able to, my mentor was on winter break so I wasn't able to ask him for any sort of mentorship work. However, both theme parks I went to allowed me to watch extremely well put on shows and parades (yes they have acting) that had amazing acting, singing, dancing, movement, stunts, tech, and so much more. I was able to learn a lot about acting and the business in theme parks. Here are the shows I watched in the parks over break:
• Walt Disney World
• Dream Along with Mickey
• Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
• Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade
• Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Fantasmic!
• Festival of the Lion King
• Finding Nemo the Musical
• Universal Studios Orlando
• A Grinchmas Spectacular
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard
• Not only do shows require acting, but so do characters in character meet and greets throughout the parks. This is especially challenging because everything is unexpected. Doing this requires a huge amount of improv and ability to stay in character at all times. On this trip, I had two of the greatest character meet and greets with Tarzan and Gaston. They were two amazing actors who always stayed in character and were a lot of fun to talk to. Here are some pictures:

2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why? What was the source of what you learned?

• One of the most important things I learned from this experience us that working in a theme park as an actor/actress is a really good idea. Being able to perform daily in front of big audiences is one of the greatest things an actor can ask for. (I wouldn't exactly mind working as a performer for Disney). I think this information is extremely important for any actor who is looking for a career in this field. Not only did I realize this while watching these performances, but I had also read an article where it stated that theme park performing is one of the best jobs an actor can have.

3. If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

• I would most likely talk to a working actor or director because they would have the most knowledge and would currently be using their own methods that can provide me the answers to my essential question.