Year One of My College Essays

The Impact Acting has had on My Life

A/N

This one got a 75. Not my best but way better than the first draft xDDD

This is a Personal Essay. Tell me what you think!

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Acting has shown me so many things in the almost seven years that I have been involved with it. When I was young, I only had my siblings as friends and did not think I needed anybody else. Except for one other person but we did not talk then as much as we do now.

Seven years ago I was asked if I wanted to audition for "Twelfth Night", the first play I would ever be a part of. I was nervous, of course, but I agreed nonetheless. If you told me then that I would be lead in a performance I would have said you were crazy, I would not believe you for a second. However, just last month I was acting as Villian and Gayle in "Almost, Maine" as semi main roles. I had the audience telling me that I deserved an award for the amazing job that I had done. I am acting as the understudy a for step sister in "Cinderella" this December in the Area Children's Theater (ACT) in Warrenton.

Being the extrovert I am, you would never know that I was shy little kid. I would not talk to the other kids and was closed off, I didn't understand the emotions I felt so I would not interact much with the other kids for the longest time at the start. After a while, though, I started talking to everyone. I would just go to someone if I needed anything to ask them for help. I took a big step for who I am and we all opened up so it was like we were all a family somehow. I have become more confident as time goes on having such a strong bond with most of my ACT family that I was no longer afraid of being who I am.

Having this experience has also as shown me how to read people's emotions so I do not say something wrong. There is a huge range of new emotions that open up, among them; vigilance, admiration, grief, apprehension and many others. All these emotions are necessary for theater as anything could go wrong at any time.

Through this all I have bettered my public speaking, social skills, and patience. Learning my lines and speaking in front of a full audience, being able to speak with someone without my heart pounding, having the ability to wait and not get angry quite as fast. My ability to work on a team was improved by the time spent working, most teamwork I have seen is through set building, we build most of the sets by hand as well as paint them.

As Stage Manager, a title I got back in 2014, I know how to take charge of a situation. My crew will always come to me for help in matters they do not understand. We are like our own little team within the larger group, feeding into and improving the dynamic.

In all, acting has really helped me to open up more to people and in turn, more people are opening up to me. The friendship that is built in our little acting group is strong so that each time one of us leaves, we are heartbroken, missing them and hoping to see them again someday. Going back for auditions after the last performance is like going home after being gone for so long. This is how I see acting and how it has changed my life for the better. Acting made me who I am today, and I would not have it any other way.