Personal Statement Attempt 1

Below is my first draft of my personal statement. Enjoy.

I am worried; plain and simple. I am worried that our society is moving further and further away from the arts. I am worried the work that I cherish and respect is struggling more than ever to survive. What I am not worried about is that there are people who are willing to fight tooth and nail to bridge the gap between our society’s culture and the art world’s culture. I am not worried about this because I am one of those warriors.
This past year has been one of the most difficult of my life. I spent the majority of my year as a Journeyman at the Warehouse Theatre teaching Shakespeare along with four other actors to area high school students through the NEA’s Shakespeare in American Communities grant. This proved to be more difficult than I ever imagined. However, it was also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. The students I taught, roughly 1500, opened my eyes to the successes and the failings of South Carolina’s education system: The system that I was educated in. It was at The Fine Arts Center in Greenville, South Carolina that I discovered my passion for the stage.
Growing up in the South with a British mother and a South Carolinian father automatically made me the odd ball. My mother read Shakespeare to me at a young age and my father made me watch the news nightly. It was difficult trying to have conversations about the things that interested me with my peers because they were usually more interested in the upcoming pep rally then the collected works of Shakespeare. Visiting over twenty high schools, including my alma mater, reassured me that not only am I doing what I love to do but I am also doing what I need to do. In my nine months as a Journeyman, I learned less about acting and more about myself and my goals.
At the end of my contract, I did the cliché actor’s in-between job and waited tables until I moved to Chicago in August. Then, I almost went on tour with a bluegrass band out of Colorado until the band fell apart. Still reeling from one disappointment, my livelihood in Chicago fell apart topped off with a broken heart and a wounded pride. So, I did what any twenty-something person in financial and emotional distress would do, I let my friends get me drunk, sublet my apartment and moved back home a few weeks later.
Serendipitously, there was a job opening in the Clemson University Performing Arts Department for an administrative specialist. I applied for the job my second day home and a month later, I began working for them. I work for both the business office, as well as, the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts Box Office. The Brooks Center is a professional touring house that is also connected to Clemson’s theatre program. Working in a collegiate environment and for a professional house has influenced me to continue on my pursuit for an MFA degree and a full time professional acting career. I greatly value the opportunity I have been given to learn the inner workings of a theatre and I know it will help me in the future. I have learned so much about the financial aspects of maintaining an arts facility and it is satisfying to know I am contributing to the arts in some way but it is not enough to satisfy my appetite for a theatre career.
I have auditioned for your program the past two years. Instead of taking the last two auditions as failures, I decided to learn from them and then take the steps I could to better myself and my instrument in the months that followed each audition. Your program focuses on Suzuki and Viewpoints for the actor’s physical development. Unfortunately, in my current residence, there are few long term classes available in those areas but I supplemented my training to the best of my abilities. I picked up Ann Bogart’s The Viewpoints Book, devoured it and then jumped at the opportunity to take a few master classes on both Suzuki and Viewpoints with Jeffrey Fracé­ of the SITI Company. I have also been working with Teri Parker-Lewis on my voice and acting techniques. I have known Teri since she was a Journeyman and I was an apprentice at the Warehouse Theatre during Jack Young’s final year as Artistic Director. I also recently started taking pilates and yoga to strengthen my body and mind.
One thing that sets me apart from other actors I have encountered is I am not afraid to fail. I believe there is a difference between people who strive for fear of failing and people who strive because they will not be satisfied until they reach beyond their limitations and fears. I know if I fail, I will not cease until I succeed. If I fail, I will turn it into strength by learning from my mistakes. I will face failure but I will never allow myself to let it keep me from getting back up and striving to do better.