Conversations on NYSSSA during NYSSSA

"I am falling in love with theatre right now. Everything is starting to make so much sense very quickly. We are just getting our first scenes this week- I'm doing a scene from The Rose Tattoo with Rosa and Jack. We're getting into the final stages of Meisner repetition- I wish we could have done more in class its so awesome! We've had playwriting, Chekov, directing, given circumstances and mask workshops with various guest teachers. One being John Astin. I wrote a 3 min scene- it turned out to be a comedy-I directed a reading of it to be performed tomorrow. It's gonna be really fun- I'm having so much fun here- everyone is great (great actors and people in general)! It's hard though. Definitely hard but I want to do it so its so different from classes in school- math and science and english are just things I'm forced to do basically. And then theres the concept that actors don't think when onstage and just act on the impulse so its so much less stressful than I had it thought to be... Overall, I feel lucky and grateful to have this experience- definitely life changing. 
One big thing I found that I bring to the table is my being hispanic. I feel like I'm representing a huge population of peoples. Sometimes its kind of overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time." 7/15 


"For this past month I have been attending a program called the New York State School of the Arts: School of Theatre. I have been studying how to act, which, as I have learned, is not really called acting but rather 'Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.' I am staying at the Adelphi University dorms and attend classes and workshops everyday. Through these workshops I have met and experienced some really interesting people and skills: stage combat, Tango, Mask work, Playwriting, a workshop with John Astin (original Gomez in The Addams Family TV series) and seeing various professional performances and readings of plays.  Yesterday, I saw “Hard Traveling with Woody” written and performed by Randy Noojin. It will be showing at the Fringe Festival beginning later this month. It is about the hard travels of Woody Guthrie during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Randy plays Woody speaking in a Union meeting; His performance is amazing. The character development is so real. I actually felt like I was a union member during this time listening to Woody speak and sing. This political theatre reminded of the purpose of theatre in our lives that I have always enjoyed and used as a driving force for my passion in acting.  Great theatre should bring out an internal conflict with each audience member where they, even if only for a split second, agree on a different point of view on issue: personal or well-known, very controversial or long gone that still applies to todays time. This reminds of what I loved about our class and our debates and what I love about dealing with present day conflicts. Overall, for my long time lifetime goals I know I want to attack the issues of the world but before this performance I wasn’t sure how I would go about doing this I’m still not completely certain but what I also know isthat I love acting and I’m on my way to being great. So, this little realization that two of my passions can totally work well together really gives a sigh of relief at least for now as I’m beginning to apply to colleges." 7/26