I participated in the New York Art Program for students who want to intern in New York City. I interviewed and was selected to work at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. It was opened in 1969 by Lee Strasberg, the inventor of Method Acting!
I worked as an admin intern, doing standard office and administrative work. I also facilitated, judged, and set up for their amazing annual film festival! Where I got to work with and see so many amazing new films. I got lots of very useful professional experience. Such as experience taking high-volume calls & screening all calls to the accounting & admissions office. Understanding the functions of corporate emails and spreadsheets. Kept a clean & organized workspace. Handled daily customer interactions while remaining personable & professional. Assisted in organizing large-scale events, digitally created posters for events, managed event RSVPs & checked-in guests.
I was also hired to stage manager for their production of Gypsy, creating complex daily schedules for the cast and crew of 30-plus people. Communicated between large groups of designers schedules & needs. Sending daily reports, & spreadsheets. Solely responsible for the show's informational organization.
I took classes such as method acting, acting on camera, monologue, audition, script analysis, world cinema, and building a character. They were amazing for my personal growth and career growth.
I did a London study abroad, lived in London for five months, and attended the London Theatre Academy. I took five classes, Introduction to London Theatre, where we would see shows, both famous well-known musicals and new works. Followed by discussions, reviews, and essays. Playwriting, where I was able to write a full one-act play. Movement, where we learned skills to move and breathe as an ensemble and as individual complex characters. The class was taught by retired Broadway performer Mich Barnfather. Shakespeare, where we learned how to translate Shakespeare and perform it, taught by current Globe performer Emily Bruni. And Stage Combat, where we learned sword and dagger combat as well as hand-to-hand combat. This class ended with a performance for the British Academy of Dramatic Arts where some students were able to become certified combat performers, I received a merit certification.
Outside of class, I was able to see over 30 shows of a wide variety. From the upcoming Broadway play "The Doctor" and beloved classic musicals like "Phantom of the Opera." I was able to experience life in another culture and significant cultural events such as the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
While I was living abroad, I traveled a lot. I visited eight other countries outside of England, which were Scotland, Slovakia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, and Norway! All of which were amazing. Solo traveling was easy, cheap, and an amazing growing experience.
Overall, Studying Abroad was a life-changing event for me. I am so happy I was able to do it, I know I grew a lot both in my performance abilities and also in my personal life.
During my freshman year, I joined the Student-Faculty Research project G.H.O.S.T Unit: The Live Event which was a student-run show. The students had been on the project for a year and a half before I joined. The students were Dane Parker, Lilly Percifield, Campbell Duffy, Jess Workman, Oskar Brian, Jamie Hotaling, Maisie Jones, and myself. Lead by staff members Sergio Costola, Amy King, and CB Goodman. Accompanied by Graklejack Productions and the ICFT to participate in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The show was an amazing interpretation of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. It was completely written, developed, and staged by the students. It was also a hybrid theatre show that combined live acting and green screen technology to perform simultaneously on stage in four different locations for a live audience and through zoom with audience members at home.
The goal was to create a show that could reach audience members no matter where they were, at home, in hospitals, or in retirement communities. We wanted to deliver them our Ghost hunting comedy where our three lead ghost hunters Charlette (Campbell,) Alfonzo (Dane), and, Gayev (Jamie) alongside their assistant Danny (Lilly ) live stream one of their epic ghost-hunting episodes. Each of the three hunters had an invisible helper, Myself, Oskar, and Maisie. These helpers wore green screen suits that way they were able to interact with anything on camera without being seen, however, the in-person audience could see them. We used this to create compelling stories between the helper and the hunter.
We took this show to Edinburgh, Scotland for two weeks as we performed at the world's largest theatre festival the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Where we were able to not only present our show to many audience members but also see many other new works and amazing shows.
Other than that it was just good times with my friends traveling Scotland and having an amazing time!
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