Ownership
“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being”
Two years ago I taught a class of five senior boys. That was it. Just me and these five hilarious, slightly obnoxious, super talented, seventeen year old boys. We started off the year very strong, working deeply on some more ‘artsy’ techniques like Linklater and Laban. If you don’t know what those are, just know that they are the types of techniques that make you incredibly self-conscious. They involve a lot of odd sounds, bouncing and generally free movement. You would however, be surprised about how much one can get out of that type of work. The boys would laugh, sure, but most of the time they felt connections to their work and to themselves like they never had before. They were vulnerable, a thing that we sadly don’t teach boys is okay, and learned a lot about the tension they hold and the fear they have. Those first few months was like teaching a college level course.
BUT as is the way with seniors, once the early acceptances from Columbia, Cornell and Penn started rolling in, they were far less invested in making humming noises for twenty minutes, let alone learning their lines or working independently. It drove me nuts to see my college level course melt into middle school style improv but I knew, eventually, they would have to snap out of it and work towards their final goal. Showcase.
The 2019 Advanced Acting Showcase was set for the end of May. With four hours a week of class and the talent of these gentlemen, we could have started rehearsing at the end of April and been totally fine. Since those four hours a week were really only two focused hours a week, we started to prepare in February.
The week before the performance lines were still being dropped, acting notes were not being taken, props were missing, costumes were forgotten and one kid even asked me to remind him what day the performance was.
The day before the performance, all the scenes and monologues were shaping up nicely but I was still quite nervous: nervous that they would forget something, nervous they would drop lines and not know what to do, nervous they would make it look like they weren't prepared, that I didn’t prepare them well for this event. Mostly, I was nervous that they wouldn’t feel the sense of accomplishment I wanted them to feel. Four years in the acting program was just ‘fun’ but that they didn’t learn a damn thing. I knew better. I had watched them grow, as actors yes but mostly as humans. They had a lot to be proud of. I wanted them to feel that.
A minute before the bell rang I was frantically giving notes and trying to remember all the little details when one of the boys said:
“Hey Ms. Frare - once we get on stage there is nothing you can do. I mean, we can do everything wrong and you can’t stop us”
As I was about to snark the heck out of this kid he laughed and said:
“Don’t worry. We got this!”
As teachers, directors, parents … anyone who teaches anyone anything really, there is a time to release yourself and hand over the reins. It was time for me to let the boys own whatever was going to happen. It was THEIR showcase, THEIR senior year, THEIR final moment in the department.
Isn’t that really what acting is? Taking ownership of your space, your work and yourself? If this was to be their final acting moment, they had to own it.
Low and behold, the 2019 Acting Showcase is my fondest memory of school thus far. It was a magical evening that kept me buzzing for days after. I stood in the back of the theater the whole time, watching them take up space, support each other and showcase their vulnerability, humor and true talent for the stage. They totally had it. I miss that ridiculous class every day.
