By Jessi Towell
Collegiate Staff Writer
Just as the sun begins to warm the pavement, a dozen students trek up the hill to Spectrum Theater.
They anticipate a morning of intriguing lessons, often new experiences, and a few laughs in spite of the tinge of mild discomfort that accompanies it. Introduction to Acting—or TH 245—can be a rewarding experience for those who decide to take it, regardless of prior acting knowledge.
The class has drawn many different types of students pursuing vastly different goals.
Some join Intro to Acting for the thrill of performing, others join to earn a few more credits and have a fun time doing so, a few students may want the class to help ease their anxieties about public speaking.
“I figured it might give me some insight into whether or not I wanted to pursue a theatrical career,” said Intro to Acting student Meghan Carey of the class. When asked if she was at all apprehensive about signing up for the class, Carey said that she had performed in plays under the same director for five years prior.
“The thought of change was scary,” said Carey, in reference to her transition between high school acting and an acting-based college course. Fortunately for the mildly uneasy Carey, once she began attending class, she said that the course’s title “didn’t lie” as it really was an introductory class by nature.
Introduction to Acting student Natalie Arnold had entirely separate reasons for joining the class. Aside from this being her final credit before graduation, “I wanted to be adventurous and have fun,” said Arnold of her spur-of-the-moment decision to take this course.
Arnold was then asked about the ease of access to the classes’ reading material, she said she was surprised to find that all of the reading material for the course could be found online, so BlackBoard was commonly utilized, making studying simple.
Ty Morgan, a GRCC student who decided against taking the class, felt that his own “inhibitions and anxieties toward performing” have held him back.
“I feel as though I could have learned a lot about myself had I stayed in the class,” said Morgan thoughtfully, “maybe I’d have even grown used to the idea of performing.” Though after his brief hiatus from this acting course Morgan feels he may be ready to try Introduction to Acting once more; “I’ve been toying with the idea of signing up again, actually,” Morgan said.
