Friday, November 08, 2013
Awakening a Great Artist
HowlRound: As a young theater artist, there is nothing more daunting than taking the giant leap from training to “the real world.” I’ve been in acting school for three years at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and have a measly eight months before I make the leap myself. And while I am pulling hair out thinking about it, I feel confident that I will be able to thrive in this business. What’s my secret, you ask? No, it’s not my deodorant, but a wonderful program called the Orchard Project.
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4 comments:
I found the description of the Orchard Project similar to CMU's drama program. Our classmates, alumni, and teachers are like the theatre companies and individual artists who join and create. What I found interesting about this article was the fact that the Project is isolated from the distractions of everyday life. Although I get distracted easily, I think everyday life issues are a big part of my creative process. Because this project isolates the artist, it creates this safe and comfortable area for the artist to explore. But what happens when that artist leaves, and there is no security blanket? Will that artist continue to take risks in the big world? I think artists need to learn how to grow and take risks while under the pressures of society. Young artists need to understand that they will need to leave their comfort zone if they want to make a name for themselves. I think that is why this trade is so mentally exhausting.
I agree with Lindsay that CMU seems to spend much more time explaining and giving experience on how to network, and experience the world we will be working in, much more than other colleges that I know about. I am really glad they do so because with out it I don't think I would have been able to get a job outside of college. What I really agree about with this author was their emphasis on how being proficient in other parts of the arts and how that effects and aids in the creation of the arts. I have always viewed myself as a multitude of different type of artist which always backed my understanding of every other art. Like this author I think my ability to thrive in this business are those two skills, however unlike this author I think that my two skills were taught to me in college and I am really glad of that.
We're not all actors here, but the concerns certainly feel the same. After we get out of our conservatory program, how are we going to succeed in the real world? That being said, it sounds like CMU does more to address these fears than other programs. Although my graduation is a long long way off, I already feel confident that I will leave here as a nimble and adaptable theater practitioner. I'd like to think I'll have the skills necessary to find work and actually stay employed in addition to just being a good designer. Well, here's to hoping..
Having only been at cmu now for barely a semester I can truthfully say that I am not concerned for what is going to happen with my life once I graduate. I feel that I am being taught all the necessary skills that one would need in the field in all my classes. However, what I feel I am learning more from is all the challenges that are constantly being thrown at me. Everyday I encounter a new challenge. This I feel is giving me the best preparation because once I leave CMU I will have faced and dealt with some many problems that I will be able to tackle almost anything.
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