Theater Maker

COMM 473 – Acting II (Junior Year, Fall 2023)
Summary: This is a collected report on all of the acting exercises that I performed during Acting II. I was challenged during this class, both as a theater maker and as a person, and have grown in both as a result. Developing my own theater pieces, and finding ones that I connected with helped me to connect more with the work. I learned a lot about refining my acting, but also how to communicate to the audience through theater.
Learning Outcome 2

COMM 374 – Directing (Junior Year, Fall 2023)
Summary: For my directing showcase, I chose to do a scene from the play Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan MacMillian. The director’s packet is a collection of research on the play itself, as well as analyzing the script and listing out how exactly I wanted to direct the scene. I worked with two phenomenal actors, and together
Learning Outcome 3

A Movement Piece (Junior Year, Spring 2024)
Summary: Unearth was a devised theater piece to music, where we explored want. Everything was devised between the cast over weeks of rehearsals. We experimented with fabrics, shadows, and a variety of movements and music. We worked together and tested things out to see what we could create. Unearth was the first time I had used dance as a means of communication, and it was a beautiful experience in which I learned the importance of embodied story in theater.
Learning Outcome 3

An Exploration of Hospitality (Junior Year, Spring 2024)
Summary: In this project, I worked with a group to prepare a meal and explore the concept of hospitality and the relationship between host and guest. We performed a devised piece with an accompanying liturgy surrounding creation and the fall, which culminated in us serving a home cooked meal in hand-made dishes. Hospitality goes hand in hand with Christianity, and the months we worked on Taste and See modeled this for me. As seen in Romans 12:13, we are to share with people who are in need and show hospitality. As such, being hospitable and caring for those around us is a way Christians can communicate the love of God.
Learning Outcome 5

A Christmas Play (Senior Year, Fall 2024)
Summary: This past fall, I was able to take part in a stage adaptation of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, where I played Lady Bertilak. There were a total of 7 actors, and we all worked together to create movement and blocking. This was the first time I was a major character in a production like this, and I learned a lot about character work, and different storytelling techniques.
Learning Outcome 2

Comm 373 – Workout (Freshman-Senior Year, Fall 2021-Spring 2025)
Summary: I have been in Workout every semester since freshman year. Mark Lewis (the program director) has often said that we are a three strand braid: one part actor, one part Christian, and one part person. If you grow in one area, you tend to grow in the others. While I entered Workout with the hope that it would make me a better actor, it has made me grow in all three strands of the braid. Workout is a community where we eat, pray, and work creatively together. We learn how to be vulnerable, how to advocate for ourselves and others, and how to be honest with our feelings. I have found a love of liturgy and Christian community through my time in workout, and I carry what I have learned with me in every area of my life.
Learning Outcome 5