Bright Lights by Jessica

Bright Lights by Jessica - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to appear on stage. First, it was as a princess, then a bunny, but in first grade, I started a summer camp and played my first role, "The oh my goodness!" character in Annie. This was the moment that ignited my passion for performing arts. I performed every summer at the same camp till I became their camp counselor. As I grew older, I had many opportunities with other local theaters and through my school. In high school, I realized I could follow my passion by being an English and Theater educator. I will follow that dream as I attend a 5-year program through the QUEST program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Theater will always be as...

I stand on stage with my soap-filled martini glass and the stage manager yelling for places. It’s opening night and the curtains unmask my shadow as the warm lights shine through, onto my face, with my caked-on makeup and tight dress which I can barely move in. I remember to smile and face the audience so I’m optimally seen from every angle in the audience's view. The overture for the opening number begins as I fill myself up with lots of energy to exert on that stage. My mind is running with all my lines, choreography, quick changes, and all the lyrics. I have to perform in these next few hours. The music stops and the audience applauds for the cast and as I unfreeze myself back into the scene, I feel the excitement from my classmates as well.

Right now, I am playing a character that I won’t most likely will never relate to. My character is an aspiring actress at a party following the opening night of her debut in a show. I gasped at the bad news dramatically and ran off the stage. The next character I play is an angry mom at the school’s board meeting where I strongly protest my beliefs. I had to find a way to connect to this character I strongly disagreed with to keep the show moving. Every person on that stage had different characters with various stories and backgrounds. I watch my castmates create these characters while I struggle to find a personality for mine. It took me a while to learn that you use experience in your life to bring a story to the stage. I hear my cue and run on the stairs to my spot for the last number.

Now, it’s the end of the show where everyone comes together and is friendly to one another. We hit our final pose with a sharp toe point and watched the light dim. It’s closing night and the show is complete. Ensemble is a French word meaning together which I learned in my language class. Together as a group is what makes a show happen so smoothly. I realized something from being in the ensemble that weekend. Playing all of these made-up characters in the ensemble instead of being the lead or having the biggest solo was significantly more beneficial for me. I put myself into these characters where I never would in real life. Being on stage, you're able to choose who you’re expressing in those characters. Bringing these made-up characters to life on that big stage keeps the audience engaged with no strive or motivation to the character war plan; there's nothing special about the performance. I want to give the audience things I never have the chance to express because it creates a personal connection between the ensemble as a whole and what I bring to the stage as a performer. The ensembles give opportunities to be yourself and create your own story.