Romeo and Juliet Reflection

Romeo & Juliet Reflection

When I first joined play production, I actually didn't really know what to expect because I had never been in any 6th period extra curricular activities, let alone been part of a play, but I hoped that it would be a new, fresh, fun experience in which I would meet plenty of new people, learn from them and from myself as well. Although Mr. Copley did explain to us, and tried his hardest to emphasize the magnitude of commitment we would be dedicating to the play by deciding to continue with it, neither he nor any one else could have prepared us for the level of commitment, stress, dedication, late & long nights that would go into the production of Romeo & Juliet. I would have to say that the late nights we would spend rehearsing, which consisted of almost everyday of the week worried me because I felt that play production was taking up a substantial amount of my time, time that could go into studying for my AP classes and I was worried that my priorities would get mixed up.

With the discovery of my role as a citizen in Romeo & Juliet: Unplugged, I sincerely didn't know how to feel or react. A part of me was happy and relieved to realize my role was that of a non-speaking actor, especially considering the stage fright I experienced in the audition. However, the other part of me wished & hoped the role would have been greater than that of merely a citizen. With further introspection, nevertheless, I realized that being a citizen (at that point in my school year) was perfect for me because for one, I was relieved of the stress that comes with the obligation of learning your lines; secondly, rehearsals were not as excruciating for me as they were for the speaking-roles; and most importantly, considering I had 4 AP classes to study and stress over, I really didn't have much time to spend on extra rehearsals like fight call. To be a citizen, especially with AP tests just around the corner, was the best thing for me, and I realize it now with great depth.

I would have to say that when I discovered that Mr. Copley intended to have live (student) musicians play as part of a scene, I then realized that this production of Romeo & Juliet was going to be like no other Romeo & Juliet before it, and maybe even after it. Then, when they rolled out their amazingly unique and creative styling plans for our wardrobe, hair and make-up I began to actually see and visualize the final outcome of several months of hard-work and dedication, and it was worth it!

I believe the best, out of the four marvelous nights, not only for me but for the entire cast was that of Thursday, May 3 because considering it was opening night everyone, whether they wanted to admit it or not, was nervous. Although at times, the nervousness can consume you and prevent the success of a great performance, for us that night I believe it worked as a catalyst and projected itself in such a way that brought out the best in all of us and as the night rolled on, the stomach churning nervousness turned to anxiousness and excitement.

I was surprised to discover that the production of a play has to be funded through the hard-work and quest of the cast in search for donations and support because without that support and those donations, a play can rise to its full potential. Producing a play, I now realize, takes not only an immense amount of hard-work and dedication, but an immense bank account as well that is able to fund the director's production of a work of art.

Being part of this production, I came to realize the significance of having understudies because as good as an actor or actress may be, there is always room for development, learning and improvement, which the understudies and the main leads can aid in with one another. However, the down side (if you can even call it that) would be that with two sets of actors that play their roles in unique, distinct and completely different ways form one another, you are going to have two completely different nights, which I don't really see as a flaw but, actually, as an essential.

In actuality, if I was given the opportunity to go back and "correct" something wrong I did, I wouldn't because im a strong believer of letting things be and come as they may. We can't fixate over the small, impractical things, but rather focus on the big picture, which in this case was a great success!

I think that if crew members and performers would get the chance to meet and know each other, before the week of the play, their relationship would improve because given that we are introduced to the crew only about a week before the play, we are not given an opportunity to actually get to know them and consequently the performers and crew members see each other more as nameless faces.

I think Carla Copley taught me a lot about not only myself, but life. Although I didn't really get to know her until the week of the play, in that shirt amount of time she taught me about life and the best, most uplifting way to confront it and the stress it induces. With music in the air and my goal on the horizon, she taught me anything is achievable and attainable.

At this precise moment I am not entirely sure what it is I want to do. I would really like to continue on with play production and hopefully get a speaking-role in the next major production, but I would also like to join drill team, something I have wanted to do since 9th grade but just recently got the courage to try-out. I am still deliberating on which path to take, and there are a lot of things I have to take into consideration before I make my final decision but one thing I do know is that what ever path I decide to follow will be successful, if I put into it the work, sweat and commitment I, as well as the entire cast and crew, put into Romeo & Juliet; Unplugged.

Leanne Zabala surprised me the most out of the cast and crew because I could not have imagined her many talents, even if someone would have told me. However, her success is not all due to her talents but through the work, sweat and tears she puts into everything she does, especially this production and as one of her closest friends I was very astonished by her admirable traits, and im sure I wasn't the only one to take note of her characteristics.