Written Assignment

         One of the most helpful things that I learned throughout participating in the acting workshop was the “thumb trick.” It’s a very silly thing to think that was learned but it is actually quite useful. Every time I read a script for the first time, I use the thumb trick. Now that I have started using this trick, there is no going back. It doesn’t feel natural not to use the thumb trick. It keeps me on top of my lines and allows me to look up and away from the script, at my partner like an actual conversation.  I’ve used this trick during rehearsals for Herricks High School’s “Fiddler on the Roof.”  Whenever I was in a new scene and reading it for the first time, I used the thumb trick and it blew through the scene as if I’ve done it several times.
         Another helpful thing I learned throughout participating in the acting workshop was identifying a character’s objective.  Knowing your character’s objective gives you information on how you should be speaking with whoever else is in the scene. Sometimes, knowing the objective gives you an enormous hint as to what the personality of your character is. More knowledge continues to roll out all from knowing your character’s objective. If you are auditioning for a roll and have an excellent idea as to who your character is from knowing your character’s objective, you will have an extra edge over all of the other people auditioning for that roll. I’ve tried applying this skill to Herricks High School’s “Fiddler on the Roof” as well. I did it more mentally though. I did not find this as helpful as the thumb trick, maybe because I use the thumb trick more often, but either way, knowing your character’s objective is still helpful.
           The last thing that I found really helpful throughout this workshop was the critique. After people preformed a scene, the other participants of the workshop would say what they liked and what could be improved. It gives me and hopefully the others in the workshop a rough idea as to where they have the most room for improvement. This way, we know exactly where we need to focus on. It could help set a goal for improving which I like to have every once in a while. The feeling of accomplishing the goal is great so I like to give myself a mental goal.
        In conclusion, I found this acting workshop to be very helpful. Between the learning the thumb trick, how to identify a character’s objective, and receiving critique, I learned a lot. Maybe in the future we could do something like this again. It could benefit a lot of the members of STAC.