Quarter 1 Reflection

It’s hard to believe that already 2 months of IB Theater have passed! Now that I look back, we’ve covered a lot of material and I’ve learned so many new things about theater and about myself. Firstly, the improv warmups and assignments have really helped me open up and break out of my shell. I wouldn’t consider myself a shy person, but I am quite reserved especially when I’m not with close friends. At first, the activities such as freeze were quite intimidating and I wasn’t really sure how I could create a story: my “creative juices,” as Mrs. Morris would call them, weren’t working and if I was put on the spot I would just start laughing because I couldn’t think of a storyline. As time has passed and we’ve done these improv activities more and more, I think I’ve finally started getting the hang of it. Thinking up of something funny when being put on the spot no longer seems as intimidating as it was at the start of the year. Also, spending time with this theater class has made me more comfortable and trusting of my classmates. So I don’t mind being partnered with any of my classmates, because I know we’ll figure out a way to do something creative as I’ve realized everyone in our class has a funny, unique personality that can be used in a lot of ways. I have to admit I’m still very bad as being put on the spot in improv, but I can tell I’m slowly improving.

Secondly the group assignments, such as the devising theater project, have helped me learn to compromise and work together with other cooperatively. For example, in the beginning of the devising theater project it was a disaster because our group spent 2 classes fighting over the music and the storyline. In the end, we just all had to agree Talah’s choice in music and my choice in storyline. I can tell I was being quite stubborn at this point in the project, and I was reluctant to hear any idea that wasn’t mine. I’m quite controlling when it comes to working with others, but as time passed and our group started working out how we would perform the story, I realized that the other members also had amazing ideas about things. For example, Yara had a great idea about how to make a shadow heart on the screen, and Westin had a great idea about using a chair on top of a table to make the projected light higher. After a couple classes, I stopped trying to control our movement and I went with the flow as everyone offered ideas. In short, I became more open minded and I learned to take directions when usually I only like directing. I’ve realized this improvement in all the group projects I am in: I still tend to be very stubborn, but now I like listening and following others’ ideas as well.

Another thing that has made me learn much more about theater and myself was the theater research project. After making a set, costume, and makeup designs and explaining Hairspray to the class, I’ve realized that there’s a lot more potential in me, rather than just directing and acting. Before I would’ve looked down upon being a designer when I could be the actor, but I’ve realized how fun it is to think up design: my “creative juices” spilled out in this designing project more than ever. I have always had solid visual interpretations of stories and characters when I hear about them, and so now I know that I could do quite well in the designing aspect of a play and not just the directorial aspects or the acting aspects (which I have to admit I’m a lot worse at). I also learned that time management is very important. Note to further self: don’t leave an assignment until the last weekend before it’s due.

Lastly, the little activities here and there this quarter have also impacted me or made me learn something in one way or another. For example, the eye contact activity Jonathan brought our class from ISTA helped me learn in one class how important direct eye contact can be (I’m quite bad at maintaining eye contact). The Bharata Natyam movement has helped me learn how to act out emotions, and the chair duets have helped me learn the importance of coordination and timing when acting out a performance.

Overall, I think the IB Theater class helped me improve in my creative skills, working with others, and time management - both in class and at home. I’ve learned so much about myself and what direction I should take when I pursue theater in my future after high school. For example, I’ve learned about my potential to be a creative designer, which I’ve learned is a lot more fun than I previously thought, and I’ve also learned more about my personality, such as how stubborn I can be (and how I can improve on this and become more open-minded) and how reserved I can be (and how to break out of my shell). Theater has become a class where I enjoy and laugh while learning so much at the same time. I can only imagine if I learned this much in just over two months how much I will have learned by the end of two years in Theater HL: I’m really looking forward to it!