@trishshoots

Some time ago, I hosted a theatre workshop for Malaysian public school students who didn’t have access to drama classes. The goal was to expose them to introductory theatre concepts and to devise a performance with them based on a chosen stimulus. At the end of the workshop, we’d present our 5 minute pieces to everyone else for feedback.

Even though my thespian members and I guided the process, we mostly let the local students take control. By doing this, we hoped to fuel their love for art and open their minds the same way theatre did for us. We hoped to help them be empowered by their ability to transform seemingly impossible ideas into reality.

The workshop went well considering everyone who attended was incredibly eager to expand their artistic knowledge. There was one student, though, who stood out to me. During a game where we had to introduce ourselves by stating our name alongside a movement, he seemed too shy to speak. It took a few minutes of prompting but, after a while, he mustered the confidence to mutter his name. I told him that my goal was to hear him say his name REALLY LOUD by the end of the workshop, to which he simply smiled sheepishly.

By the end of the workshop, this student stood out, but in a completely different way. When he performed, we were mesmerized. He had the funniest lines and clearest movements, and he was projecting his voice more confidently than we had expected. I found out later he had improvised a large part of his performance.

Smiling and close to tears, I remembered that this is why I'm drawn to artistic expression. I strongly believe in the power of art in healing because I think that it can radically shift the way we view the world. I believe in this because the same thing happened to me as I overcame my own low self esteem and mental illnesses. I believe in this because I saw it happen during our theatre workshop that day.

I was inspired by how this student’s confidence had significantly grown over the span of one hour. I never would’ve thought that the boy at the start of the workshop who was too scared to introduce himself was the same boy as the one improvising jokes and throwing chairs across stage.

My time as a photographer will no doubt give me more experiences similar to the one that I had with this local school boy. I’ll be encouraged to constantly challenge my own art skills while pursuing my passions for connection and service. Best of all, I’ll be given the opportunity to help change people’s lives, one at a time.