I am entering my 5th term at Randolph Academy School for the arts in the triple threat program.
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| April Clemmens |
We study at three disciplines equally i.e., singing dancing and acting
First term was absolutely CRAZY! We got there the first day, the first class I had at Randolph was Jazz and I had never been in a class like that before, working with professionals is incredibly hard work. By the afternoon I was hurting in places I didn't know I had muscles. Then I had a my first Voice and Text class, that was very interesting. In that class we play with vowels and sounds, its basically like learning to speak all over again. Then off to a 3 hour lecture class about the History of Theatre. I am not too big of a history buff but I did enjoy learning where the art of theatre, my favourite thing to do in the world, came from. My favourite thing I learned the first day of Randolph was the DANCE OF JOY! We did this dance in Voice and Text. Its basically like the lotto dance in the Super7 commercials, but your own version, it can be anything you want it to, as long as your are moving with joy!
I learned that theatre involves paperwork. Tons and tons of paperwork. In school we learn that every action you do on stage whether it be a line or a simple step, must have a purpose behind it. A purpose that can be written down so precisely that a fellow colleague to read it and perform it the exact same way as you yourself have done. Its a long process to go through but it makes the work to true and real.
I started off going into the school as a sing first, but I have really fallen in love with acting! I love the challenge of being interesting enough to watch without even opening your mouth to speak or sing.
At school we have incredible teachers that support us and help us become what we want to become. They push us so much because they want to see us grow. Our teachers have not only studied what they teach but they themselves are masters of their craft. We learn from the best at our school. We are taught not only by talented people who work in the industry, but by everyday people who love and respect what they do.
One of the most exciting and most difficult things to do was to live on my own without my parents. No more eggs with my Dad in the morning or talking my moms ear off when she came home from work. Now I had to just use the phone. It was so exciting though, I was living with my best friend Stephanie Kroezen (another fellow globe member and recent graduate of Randolph) and I was having the time of my life. Making my own dinners, taking the TTC everywhere, buying my own groceries, it was awesome.
Every term has an end of the term show. In first term you present a Theatre History, you put on scenes from the different plays you study. Second term you present your first Cabaret, that was my favourite. Our was based on the idea of a wedding and I was lucky enough to be able to sing in a group number of Always a Bridesmaid from I love you, You're Perfect, Now Change. Third term is when you present your shakespeare show. Our class did two different plays, I got to be involved in the hour and a half version of Hamlet playing the wise best friend Horatio. Fourth term is when you do another cabaret. Our cab was centered around the idea of love and friendship and christmas. In fifth term you present a full professional version of a play. Our term is putting on Our town and the Penelopiad. This spring I will be playing the role of Telemachus in the Penelopiad. And finally in sixth term you get to put everything you have learned together and do a full musical. I am so excited for that, we are putting The Rocky Horror Show and I can't wait to do the time warp!
School is incredibly challenging and everyday you learn something new about yourself you didn't know. In order to play a character you have to know everything about the character, but most importantly you have to know yourself more. You can't play someone else if you don't know who you are. This school helped me find myself. Everyday I learned something about myself. One day I learned how to sing a high C properly and another day I learned that I have more courage than I ever dreamed I did.
This is an incredibly challenging and exhausting school but it is sooooo worth it. I cried every week in first term; some were tears of stress but most were tears of happiness and discovery. This school teaches you how to sing, dance, and act but most importantly it teaches you how to respect and take care of yourself. It helps you discover who you are.
I learned that I will never be taller than five three and I also learned that I can do anything I set my mind to.
To me performing is like getting to be a little kid for the rest of my life. I get to play dress up and use my imagination and earn money for it, who wouldn't want to do that?
