Change Within the Performing Arts by Ashley

Change Within the Performing Arts by Ashley - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

In 4th grade I attended my first acting class at the community theatre near my house. Ever since then, I have been hooked on performing. When I was younger I was shy and introverted. Theatre allowed me to branch out and to be more confident in myself. When I portrayed another character, I felt powerful instead of insecure. In the movie Billy Elliott, the main character is a young aspiring dancer. When auditioning for a prestigious dance school, he is asked how he feels when he performs. The first time I watched this movie, the description he gave brought me to tears. He explains that when he dances he feels like electricity and as if he is flying. His description makes me emotional because it perfectly matches how I feel when I perform. When I perform nothing else matters because in that moment, my sole purpose is to do justice to whoever or whatever I am portraying. The stress of daily life disappears and I suddenly only have to worry about performing to the best of my ability. My devotion to performing stems from wanting to leave a lasting impression on the audience I am performing for. I love theatre because it has the ability to inspire and educate. By pursuing a career, as well as an education, in theatre I believe that I will be able to impact the people I work with and the audiences I perform for.

My high school theatre experience has played a big role in refining my vision for my future with a career in theatre. Overall, theatre has dominated and dictated my schedule for the past four years. Every year I have been involved in the fall show, the musical, the UIL one-act play, as well as other productions that are done throughout the year. The productions put on by my school often create different challenges to be overcome. My freshman year we did The Wizard of Oz with a cast made up of over eighty people, including a considerable amount of kids in elementary and middle school. My sophomore year we did The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and people thought the show was an actual spelling bee. My junior year we did High School Musical and had our first full run through of the show on opening night. My senior year we did Urinetown the Musical and blocked the entire show less than a week before we opened. These tribulations have strengthened my passion for theatre and made me realize that if I truly want to be successful with a career in this particular field, it’s critical to have thick skin and to be persistent. In addition to this realization, I have been able to witness first-hand the unfairness and ignorance that is present among the performing arts. Year after year I have witnessed talented and deserving performers of color not receive good roles purely because our director could not fathom the idea of her leads being played by anyone other than her token white actors. I have seen our director pick shows, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, in an ignorant attempt to show diversity when in reality the show is based around a white savior character. A show that tells a story of struggle for people of color through a white character does not promote diversity and inclusion and instead fosters an environment in the arts that lacks awareness. As I pursue theatre in college and eventually as a career, I hope to advocate for performers that are people of color and to involve myself in projects that push the uniformity of modern theatre. By actively seeking out opportunities to promote diversity, I am hopeful that other performers will follow suit and eventually the theatre community will reform itself to be more inclusive. Throughout high school my eyes have been opened to the favoritism that is common within the performing arts and my peers have shared their feelings on the topic to help the people in our theatre program gain perspective. By using my voice to amplify the voices of fellow performers, I believe that I can contribute to change and inclusivity within the world of theatre.