Kimball Union Magazine Fall 2013

Page 13

SCHOOL NEWS

S A M O ’ S H E A ’ 1 4 S T U D I E D A C T I N G AT T H E A M E R I C A N A C A D E M Y O F D R A M AT I C A R T S This summer, as a Cullman Scholar, I had the unique opportunity to take part in a two-week acting course at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts LQ 1HZ <RUN &LW\ , ZRQ¡W OLH WR \RX ÂŤ , ZDV QHUYRXV , KDG EHHQ QRWLĂ€HG D PRQWK EHIRUH WKDW , ZDV WR KDYH PHPRUL]HG D WZR PLQXWH FRQWHPSRUDU\ monologue to present in front of the entire class. The six-hour trip down to New York City consisted of worried thoughts and elaborate plans to somehow get out of the one requirement the course asked of me. But I had to keep telling myself, “If I could dance ballet in a golden leotard at KUA, I could certainly do this!â€? The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a storied conservatory, with alumni like Paul 5XGG DQG $QQH +DWKDZD\ )RU WKRVH XQIDPLOLDU ZLWK WKH WHUP ´FRQVHUYDWRU\ Âľ LW LV GHĂ€QHG DV D VSHFLDOL]HG VFKRRO IRU D Ă€QH DUW DQG LQ WKH FDVH RI WKH $$'$ GDQFH PXVLFDO WKHDWHU and theater are the main focuses, so I was both excited and intimidated. I had been graciously given this opportunity to try and excel in a craft and art form that had really inspired me, and I was there to see if it held further promise. The schedule was set up similarly to KUA’s block system. Class was from Monday through Friday with three to four two-hour blocks a day and an hour break for lunch. The classes consisted of: Acting Techniques, Approach to Monologues, Monologue Development, Movement, Vocal Technique, Camera Techniques, and Improvisation. Every class had its own amazingly unique teacher. Mr. Collis was an older man who taught my Camera Techniques FODVV $IWHU LQWURGXFLQJ KLPVHOI DQG KLV FDPHUD ZKRVH RIĂ€FLDO QDPH ZDV ´6H[\ 6XVDQ Âľ KH loudly shushed us. We all eyed each other with concerned looks on our faces, coming to terms with the fact that this man might be losing it. He looked up and down and waddled to a curtain, swinging back and forth over and over “Welcome, my lovely friends, don’t be afraid to join us, JOIN us!â€? It was odd, why was he reintroducing himself? He snapped back to reality a moment later and apologized, “I am sorry class, it’s just the ghosts in the building—they are very playful!â€? Next up was the monologue class. We were packed into a small, bare room, sweating buckets from the incredible heat. After waiting 10 minutes, a balding man with a bagel in his mouth FDPH EXUVWLQJ LQWR WKH FODVVURRP DQG \HOOHG D PXIĂ HG ´:KR¡V Ă€UVW"Âľ ZKLOH ELWV RI EDJHO KLW his red Crocs. His name was Andrew Polk and his crowning achievement was this 15-second segment on season 3 of “30 Rock.â€? That was his shining moment as an actor and he wasn’t even acting. That’s how he is! So you can imagine how intimidated I was. Before I could think, the “30 Rockâ€? nerd in me came bursting out and I blurted, “You’re Steven Spielberg? You know Tina Fay!â€? Everyone turned and stared. “You know she calls me whenever she needs something, but my list goes on and on, so please refrain from stupid questions, OK?â€? Great, that was NOT the start I was looking for. Next thing I know, he points his bagel at me and says, “You! Blabber PRXWK \RX¡UH XS Ă€UVW Âľ , ZDV IUR]HQ WR P\ FKDLU +RZ FRXOG , DFW DIWHU WKDW VWDU VWUXFN PRPHQW JRQH VR ZURQJ" , ZDV DVNHG WR OHDYH WKH URRP WR “prepareâ€? my monologue. I stood—no shook—in the hallway and waited. Those 2 minutes had to have been the most painful moments of my like. 0\ 1HZ =HDODQG FODVVPDWH Ă€QDOO\ FDOOHG PH EDFN LQ DQG , VORZO\ HQWHUHG WKH URRP %XW ZKHQ , VDW GRZQ WRRN D GHHS EUHDWK DQG VWDUWHG WR GHOLYHU my monologue, it all seemed to click. From that point on, I had a blast participating in anything AADA had to offer. I was groaning and screaming the ORXGHVW LQ YRLFH H[HUFLVH EHLQJ WKH PRVW FRPSOH[ SLHFH LQ D KXPDQ PDFKLQH DQG JLYLQJ WKH SURXGHVW DQG PRVW FRQĂ€GHQW LQWURGXFWLRQV , OHDUQHG KRZ to properly audition, how to adapt to a character at the drop of a hat, how to move, speak, look, and feel when I acted. But most importantly, I learned KRZ WR OHW ORRVH DQG QRW FDUH ZKDW SHRSOH WKRXJKW RI P\ DFWLQJ ,I , ZDV JRLQJ WR EH DQ DFWRU , QHHGHG WR EH SHUFHQW FRQĂ€GHQW Our motley crew of nine classmates, all from different countries and backgrounds, bonded together. As I began to meet and hear the stories of my classmates, I learned that I was the only one there to learn and have fun. They were there to try out. They had come from far away, with only a suitcase to their names, to try and hit the jackpot it the Big Apple. I was lucky enough to attend this camp through the enormous generosity of the Cullman family to try something fun and adventurous. FA L L 2 0 1 3

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Kimball Union Magazine Fall 2013 by Kimball Union Academy - Issuu