The Laramie Project By Ayesha Domingo Grade 10 Dover Campus Partaking in the gripping play The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman was an eyeopening experience that continues to influence me. The documentary play, revolving around the murder of gay university student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998, is beautifully scripted and authentically portrays and conveys the feelings of the individuals involved. I played the role of three different characters: a prosecutor, a car mechanic and Reggie Fluty, the policewoman who found bloodstained Matthew Shepard tied to a fence. Portraying multiple characters is not an easy feat. As an actor, I wanted to successfully communicate the feelings of the three characters whose backgrounds and connections to Matthew differed so greatly. The moment I went onstage, I did not want to be seen as an actor, but as who I was portraying and speaking naturally, as if I was truly living their life. From swapping between the mindsets of each character to rushing to change my costume onstage, it was an especially fulfilling experience to play more than one character because of the challenge it brought up—both physically and mentally. The experience had a great impact on my life in UWCSEA overall. As a new FIB student, my involvement in the play really helped with my integration into the College. My participation has not only led me to encounter numerous people who are just as passionate about the arts as I am, but has also helped me understand the school itself better. Apart from that, it solidified my newly found passion for theatre. Becoming attached to characters, immersing myself in the roles and seeing life from their perspective has been a very eye-opening experience. In the end, The Laramie Project was a thought-provoking play imbued with feeling and commitment from start to finish, with its zealous actors peaking at just the right bits—which is never a guarantee. The wonderful thing about theatre is that no two performances are the same. From my first production, I finally came to understand Alan Rickman’s words, “Actors are agents of change. A piece of theatre can make a difference. It can change the world,” just as participating in The Laramie Project has changed mine.
Playing Cyrano Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac was performed 20-22 January by East Campus Grade 9 and 10 students. Matt Lulu, who portrayed Cyrano, reflects on the process of bringing the iconic character to life. Matt Lulu Grade 10 East Campus From slapstick comedy, to enthralling action sequences, to eventual poignant tragedy, the raw entertainment of this play is undeniable. Playing Cyrano, I felt a genuine duty … in truly absorbing the audience in this story … the themes and emotions of this story are so relevant and familiar to so many people. The rehearsal process did not prove to just consist of the after school rehearsals, as I found myself spending more time as Cyrano than as myself. From repeating lines in different tones to a mirror, to unconsciously stating lines in everyday conversation, I grew attached to this character. I think that for many actors, who hold a responsibility to bring a character to stage, this attachment is unavoidable. Perhaps it is because we are envious that they speak with such inventiveness, and after a taste of that, we yearn to have that for ourselves. Perhaps when we are captured in the moments of the characters, we become touched and scarred by their emotions. Through the role of Cyrano, I unexpectedly came to learn that true acting is not acting at all; it is being, which only developed my love for theatre even further. 26