First week in Drama!

This past week has been a major switch for me, it being my first week as a drama student! Thankfully having gone to TAPs was a huge advantage because I'm starting to understand how IB theatre and the class in general work. When we were told we would be doing a practical lesson, I was less then thrilled. At TAPs I found it easy to go for any of the acting "challenges" because I'd never met the other kids before, and therefore I had nothing to lose. However, I decided I might as well give it a try at school as well. The activity was to try and convince a partner to go on vacation with you. The first time the partner could only respond "No", second round "yes but..." and the third round "yes and".

1. No: I felt hurt, rejected, annoyed
2. Yes but: unpopular, frustrated
3. Yes and: excited, bubbly, overjoyed

In the first two rounds, the flow was broken and it was hard to keep improvising. However, by the third round we were able to build off of each other's ideas and keep going. Not only did the energy stay really upbeat and positive but we also worked together as a team. Overall this exercise showed me how harsh a "no" can be. Theatre makes us all vulnerable, so we might as well make the process as painless as possible by being open and encouraging to others.