Student Blog: Taking Charge of Your Own Education

One of the biggest stressors within my theater coursework has been finding material. Most of my classes require me to choose a scene or monologue with very few guidelines or limitations. The daunting beginning of a new assignment lies in choosing what material to use. The possibilities are endless and there is hardly any time to fully research the work. Through determining what you are passionate about, committing to the material, and leaning on your excitement for a piece, you can successfully choose resources and begin meaningful projects.

There are so many different instances where new material is required, and it can be challenging to choose a new piece each time. I recommend reflecting on what you find most important to you, and working within that given subject matter. If you focus on a set of ideals that are important to you, you can root your piece in universal values that remain constant. The premise and situation may be entirely different from selection to selection, but the importance is what the work is expressing, and those ideals can be similar based on your passions and moral views.

I can admit that I have difficulty committing to a piece as I am researching my options. The challenges presented from my indecisive nature can be an added stress in working on my material to fully understand my monologue or scene. Once I finally decide to focus solely on one of my options, the process of working on the selection becomes much easier. In terms of making my final decision, I spend a great deal of time developing ideas for several options but once I commit to one work I can fully research and learn my piece. While I understand that it can be daunting, the sooner you can make a definite decision, the easier the entire process will be.

While the amount of time spent on assignments can differ greatly, what I lean on throughout working through my material is my excitement with the piece. As the projects grow to memorization and actualization of the work, returning to a foundational joy with the piece can be helpful to remember why you chose it. It is easy to get caught up in the specifics of a scene or monologue with acting choices, costumes, and props, but what is most important is the written word you chose and the impact it is having on a society. When the material becomes daunting or challenging, remember to take a step back and spark that love for the work you are doing. You can take the time to watch a production of your piece or research its larger impact.

Throughout developing a theater degree, there are so many opportunities to bring material to class and work with what inspires you. It is important to make firm choices rooted in the values you can fall back on and return to maintain an excitement with your selection. Since there are so many experiences based on your own choices of material, take solace in the fact that there are so many times that you can explore different works. If there is a play that you have always wanted to research but it does not fit your current assignment, feel free to take the time to develop that material for future use instead of working to make it fit the given topic. Trust your intuition of what is important work and find strength in your opinions of a piece. I recommend working ahead and working to build a library of your favorite plays to work with, and always returning to what you are passionate about.