A flurry of makeup, pep talks, and frantic line-reviewing. Air saturated with the stench of hairspray. Personal pre show rituals complete with chanting and hand movements. Visiting the Eagle Ridge Drama Club backstage as they prepared for their production of of Twelve Angry Jurors was a foray into the artistic world of theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many actors, the time just before the show represents the culmination of all the hard work and effort that\u2019s been put into the performance. It is a journey to find the theatre persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe time right before the show is the peak of my energy,\u201d sophomore Muthu Meenakshisundaram, who played Juror 8, said as junior Samantha Erickson finished his makeup. \u201cIt\u2019s the peak of my energy and happiness. I love acting, I love performing a character, I love being onstage, and I love doing it with this group of people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy to be in this area,\u201d junior Tom Dugeon said, who played the foreman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite high spirits, nerves still played a big role, even for veteran actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019re always nerves,\u201d Tom said. \u201cOnstage, offstage, first performance, last performance. Once you get out there though, it\u2019s so much fun that you almost don\u2019t notice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many performers, pre-show feelings seemed to follow a consistent schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel nervous until five or ten minutes before we go onstage,\u201d junior Shea Kulus, who played Juror 4, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Gillian Herbert has acted in seven Eagle Ridge plays. Her nerves also follow a regular routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCurrently, I feel nothing,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like all my emotions have just drained out my feet. Then, I\u2019ll get backstage, and the lights\u2019ll start to dim, and I\u2019ll feel full blown panic like I\u2019m about to give my speech for President of the United States, and I feel like I\u2019m going to actually just melt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen, I walk on stage, and I feel perfect,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNerves aren\u2019t like \u2018oh no what if I mess up.\u2019 They\u2019re more like \u2018I want to do a good job.\u2019 I\u2019m nervous, but it\u2019s my body\u2019s way of pumping me up,\u201d she said. \u201cWithin that, you find your theatre persona.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When she\u2019s playing a character, Gillian goes beyond memorizing lines, and tries to speak as if she herself is her character at that moment in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI try not to think of them as lines,\u201d she said. \u201cI just exist with them so I\u2019m living in the moment. It\u2019s not my character speaking; I am speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMe and my character need to mesh. I\u2019m not playing number 3, I am number 3. That\u2019s how I think about it,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding a theatre persona is a personal journey that all actors must take before a performance. For some, the journey is simply reviewing lines. For others, like Gillian, it involves a carefully-scheduled physiological routine that prepares her for a performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the Magnum Opus of my work as an actor here,\u201d Muthu said. \u201cI\u2019m really proud to present it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A flurry of makeup, pep talks, and frantic line-reviewing. Air saturated with the stench of hairspray. Personal pre show rituals complete with chanting and hand movements. Visiting the Eagle Ridge Drama Club backstage as they prepared for their production of of Twelve Angry Jurors was a foray into the artistic world of theatre. For many …<\/p>\n