The Reflection

For the performance aspect of my project, I decided to do a Reader's Theater during one of my school's Drama Club meetings.

Connection to the community

When we performed the first act of my play for an audience, I was delighted to hear several people say they could relate to the stories they were seeing. One of the actors spoke about his relation to the characters Sam and Max. He further talked about how he was glad the story was being told because he felt as though a lot of people could relate to many of the characters. An audience member told me she could see the characters as not just characters but as real people, as if they were her classmates. Another cast member told me he saw so much of himself in his character that he couldn't deliver his lines without getting choked up. Because my play has such a diverse cast of people with such vast experiences, it will be relatively easy for audiences to see themselves within it.

What would I have changed?

I would've changed the timeline if I could change anything about my capstone project. I would've loved to have gotten my script done much earlier. I could direct the full-length play on the stage for a larger audience. Unfortunately, our auditorium was under renovation for several months, which pushed our performances back and left no window to perform my capstone. That's another thing I would've changed, but that one was out of my hands. A third thing I would've changed about my capstone was having more people proofread my script. I edited the script several times, but it would have been very beneficial to have other eyes on it who could give me more cohesive notes before performing it.

How have Fine Arts courses impacted my education?

Taking fine arts courses has impacted my education in a major way. Through taking these courses I've learned impactful skills that help me in several areas. For instance, I've become more responsible, having to memorize lines for performances by deadlines has given me better time managment skills, and through playing a large variety of characters I've honed an ability to adapt to all kinds of different situations. The skills I've built from my theater class can be applied in y other classes and even in my everyday life.

Special Thanks to

Vivienne See, for always encouraging me to keep writing

Jaeden Peru, for playing Max

Christian Dona, for playing Oscar

Onyx Nevarez, for playing Sam

Joel Leon, for playing Abraham

Elias Nance, for playing Issac

Lorelei Shirey, for playing Camelia

Daniela Tores, for playing Jane

Balen Fisher, Daniel Herrera, and Josie Milward for playing the Ensemble characters

Ms. Cortes, for always believing in me and pushing me to be the best version of myself

To little me, who, despite all the odds stacked against him, made it out and wrote a whole play about it

And to you, for reading this far!