Shifting Stage LeftJustin Arnold

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PART 1: The Before- My life before drama.

PART 2: You want me to what? –My foray into drama.

PART 3: The after –My life since the shift.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to

be able to do it.”J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

(Barrie, Ch. 14.)

Being involved in theatre changed my life. I don’t mean that in a cheesy ‘Glee’ kind of way.

While being involved, I became a leader. And an adult.

Part 1THE

BEFORE

Those old school days…

The corner was my seat.

My hand was never raised, but I knew the answers.

While I wasn’t low in self confidence, I had the hunch that my real self wasn’t “good enough”

Those ‘Alternate’ Old school days…

After a while, I found that my imagination was much more entertaining than reality.

Remembering what happened on ‘Nick-At-Night’ was easier than remembering the answers to a science worksheet.

I think back on those days and at first I recall the illustrations in Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood storybooks.

Okay, so I was weird. I have a feeling I wasn’t the only one.

Examples of how quiet I was:

Teachers sometimes thought I’d left the room.

I wasn’t just picked last for teams: I wasn’t picked at all.

Teachers whispered questions to my mother about my home life (Which was loving) and any past traumas (There were none.).

Part 2

“You want me to what?”

One teacher noticed me...

In the 5th grade, my Language Arts teacher noticed my developed imagination and way with written words through the short stories we were assigned.

She encouraged me to join her new drama club. I was very timid about this, but inside it was something I desperately wanted to do.

I don’t get stage fright, and I think maybe one reason is that I experienced all I needed to the night before our first meeting, when the “what if’s” started to haunt me.

“Strong as an ox” is the catch-phrase

In the club’s first production, Aesop’s Fables, I was cast as an Ox.

This was fine, until I realized I had fifteen lines to memorize.

But as soon as rehearsals began, I was hooked…

Something is Different

On Stage:

I started to speak more loudly and learned how to project.

Soon I found that it was easy to say lines “in character”, and I was pretty good at making it sound ‘real’.

People were surprised I wasn’t in the corner.

Off Stage:

To make friends, I found pretty quickly that you have to be more open.

It’s easier to forget someone in a theater than in a classroom.

There is a heirarchy, a food chain, and to be on the top you have to stick up for yourself.

In “Real-Life”

The friends I made doing drama have become my friends for life.

“Aesop’s Fables” was the first of many. I began to do as many plays, musicals, and revues as I could, never pausing for rest or taking a break from learning how to be better.

By honing the craft I made more friends and connections, which has led to jobs and relationships I would have never received had I not gained insight to confidence through the theatre department.

Part 3

The After

After Years of Drama

I am no longer shy.

The corner is not my seat of preference.

My imagination is not kept to myself, and I am not as timid to share my ideas.

I am usually the one encouraging people to try things, not vice versa.

Self-Doubt is no longer in my vocabulary. If I doubt myself, then I don’t deliver a good product (Whether a performance, a project, or other endeavor.)

The Full Circle

I am now having yet another shift, as I am directing my own show for a children’s program called Stage Left.

The Jungle Book will consist of a cast of kids 8-18.

Some of them are kids I encouraged to open up, corner kids like I was.

Shifting at a Glance

Before

Shy

In the corner.

Friendless.

Closed but vibrant imagination.

After Not shy.

Never in the corner.

A strong group of colleagues.

Willing to share ideas and solutions with confidence.

A paid directing job.

The list of benefits goes on…

The life I have no would not be possible if I hadn’t have stepped

on stage. I would probably still be in the corner.

The kids I am directing now would probably still be in the

corner.

There are no corners on stage.

Works Cited

Barrie, J.M. Chapter 14. Peter Pan. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1911. N. pag. Print.

Digital image. University Primetime. Web. http://universityprimetime.com/files/images/uploads/events/

soci1.jpg

Digital image. Classic Broadway. Web. http://www.fclo.classicbroadway.org/pictures/c1.jpg

Digital Image. Caldwell, Jeff. "Georgetown Community Theatre ,” Georgetown Community Theatre. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.