Since the end of DP1, I was sure I wanted to take part in Senior Production. The last school play I was in was Oliver!, I was in 9th grade at the time. I really enjoyed being a part of the musical, it was fun and exciting. I had a small role as a governor and was also a part of the chorus. 

This year, being my last year in OSC I thought that taking on a named role would be a new challenge, it’s something I have never done before. Since finding out the play we were to perform would be a modern reenactment of the Greek story Antigone I knew I wanted to be King Creon. 

Creon is the autocratic leader of the city, Thebes, where the play is set in. He is ruthless and believes in absolute power, however, is a tragic character, he suffers his own consequences with his son, and wife dead and the entire city against him. 

I thought this character would be a good fit for me because I got to experiment with a range of emotions and put some of the performing skills I learnt during ISTA to good use. Emotional range is something I struggle with as a performer, however, through this 4-month long journey I have come to learn various performing styles and techniques allowing me to put on a good show. 

My favourite part of performing as Creon was that I had multiple scenes on my own. While I enjoy dialogue with other characters, memorising big chunks of speech was valuable to building a personality for my audience to understand. 

The speech which Creon delivers is my favourite part of my individual performance as it is structured quite interestingly, I have to channel specific moods and tones in order for it to be understood. If I delivered it in the same tone the meaning would be lost. The speech challenged me in a theatrical sense. 

I also enjoyed my one-on-one scenes with Antigone and Haemon, it made me realise the amount of trust needed between characters in order to deliver a natural and organic conversation. In relying on the other person to do their best it allowed me to do my best. 

As much as I enjoyed being a part of the production it was a challenge. I juggled it along with volleyball for around two months and later would end up participating in Track and Field which clashed with production. It was difficult to stay on top of my extracurriculars however, the challenge made the experience more interesting for me. 

In terms of my performance on the actual nights of the play, I believe that my Thursday performance was better since all the cues were fresh in my mind and I was physically ready for the play. 

On Friday I felt that I was lacking in some aspects, for example, in my argument with my son, Haemon. I had less emotion and the scene felt less tense however, I tried to compensate for this by relying on my body language and facial expression. 

I am sad to say that the experience is over however, this activity has made me realize that acting is something I enjoy and might end up pursuing sometime in my university career.

Learning Outcomes: 

• LO1: Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.
• LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
• LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
• LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.