As the end of the school year approaches, finals also come close. For some it’s big tests, showing how they understood the whole unit. Some classes might not have finals. For beginning theater, they do have a final–a final performance to put their acting skills to the final test.
Theater and acting comes naturally to some, but to others, they were just selected to be in this class just to fulfill their art credit. Although this class can be challenging, it pushes students to their best and makes them have an actor/actress mindset. Mr.Hanson, the theater director for four years now at AHS
Students have to pick out a certain excerpt from a movie scene with a few other students and practice that scene. They choose characters, build props if needed, and then give an after school performance. In order to produce this performance, “Beginning Theatre Arts students spend the first part of the semester building up their skills from movement to short scenes to longer scenes. Everything builds off the previous items to help students with comfort and ability improvement,” Mr.Hanson said. Hanson has been at Arlington High School for three years now.
In preparation for this, the students and the teacher both have to prepare, “I spend a lot of time coaching each scene to make sure they will be understood and enjoyed by an audience,” Hanson said. In order to make a performance enjoyable, Hanson has to make sure they are easy enough to listen to and watch for about five minutes.
Picking a scene can be super easy but it can also be super difficult, “How we picked our scene was we got in a group and just talked about what we liked. Our scene is from the Mean Girls musical, when Gretchen says Regina can’t sit at the table” Kyleigh Hansen (10) said. It was easy for Hansen’s group to pick their scene. In Hansen’s scene, she has a singing part, which she is a bit nervous about.
Beginning Theater Arts is considered a pretty easy and laid back class, “I honestly don’t take it seriously. I just memorize lines as best as possible and rehearse and practice as much as I can,” Sierra Leber (10) said.
Every final requires practice, creativity and group work. It’s essential to memorize lines and stage directions. Working closely with peers to pick out the scenes can make the performance go smoother and less nerve wracking.
