Baby's First Assessment

I had my first assessment Thursday. Which means that I sat in a room with my Acting Professor, my Analysis Professor (who is the head of the program), my Voice Professor, my Movement Professor, my Tech supervisor, and the 2nd-year Acting Professor, while they all told me how they thought I did this semester. They each read aloud from their (long) written statements, and gave me copies to keep when it was over.

I was nervous going in. I'd heard that these often end in tears (and that tissues are provided). I'd heard that they just tell you everything you're doing wrong. I've also heard that it's when you find out if you're being put on probation or asked to leave the program. And while I really shouldn't have had reason to worry about these things, I'm the kind of person who feels the need to worry anyway.

But I needn't have worried. Here's some of what they had to say... (those written copies are totally handy... I put my favorites in bold)




"The MFA Review panel identified the following as areas of strength: Persistence, and focused work. Excellent growth."

On "What the actor's physical instrument is, in physiological and artistic terms":
"Angela understands this very clearly and connects all assignments and exercises directly to acting work."

"She is very, very flexible"

"Angela has a vivid imagination and found 'meditation for actors' and 'dropping into coherence' easy by using visual and breath techniques."

"She handled the large class well."

"Range of motion and flexibility are very wide."

On "Identify what an acting impulse is, in physiological and artistic terms, and explore and amplify those impulses in Movement Class and Acting Class, with expressive and artistic purpose":
"Angela does this well."

"All Viewpoints work was free and connected to the ensemble."

"Angela is that rare actor who truly enjoys receiving notes and jumping in to implement them immediately."

"In the morning etude session she took adjustments and applied them immediately."

"Angela's self-evaluation was accurate."

"She is an excellent member of the ensemble."

"Angela has had a very good semester."

"Very good work."

"Your destructuring is progressing beautifully in all positions. More and more you are able to stay in the positions longer without fear."

"Very good rib swing. Excellent vocal support."

"You are working extremely well in voice class, and have made excellent progress this semester. You come into class prepared, and ready to work, and positive."

"In Acting Class, your application of skills from Voice Class shows important progress: your application of Standard American Speech to your acting work is very good. During the Acting I Showing, you succeeded in staying on-voice, and sending and landing consistently."

"You have always taken voice adjustments/notes, both in Voice Class and in Acting Class, with a view toward improving, and very professionally. Excellent. Keep it up!"

"Angela, a very good semester!"

"Throughout the course, you successfully rose to every occasion, including the ultimate test of staying on top of your inner-technique practice, insuring a consistent quality of work in text etudes."

"...one of the most reliable partners in your ensemble, capable of not only taking care of your own creative life onstage, but inspiring a partner to follow suit and live creatively."

"Moreover, I am convinced that you are capable of becoming one of the leaders of the ensemble, if you continue transforming your point of view on yourself as a creative artist. I observed this tendency toward artistic maturity in you throughout the final weeks of the semester, and I want to encourage it."

"Your memory of physical actions test exercise was among the strongest in the class."

"It is this very work that placed you at the top of your ensemble."

"Take advantage of the strong sensory imagination you possess."

"You are now able to build a true communion with a partner onstage and act truthfully and spontaneously within imaginary circumstances."

"...a responsive, spontaneous, and imaginative stage partner."

"...you've made some enormous strides."

"Oral presentations are always good and well prepared, and you are always ready to tackle any play that we examine in class."

"In the last few weeks, you've demonstrated a real understanding of the principles at hand and an ability to apply them to a given text, almost in spite of yourself!"

"You are now reading a play as a dramatic text, with a good understanding of authorial intention and a good sense for the subtleties of dramatic writing."

"As the semester went along, you felt more comfortable guiding class discussions. Please make sure you continue to do this -- when you do, you bring all of us to a much clearer reading of the material at hand. The class benefits from your analysis as much as you do."



Seriously, I'm hard-pressed to think of another day in my life when I've gotten so many compliments.

I'm sorry for being braggadocious, but I feel like I can't tell any of my classmates that I received such a positive review. Mostly because I don't know what sorts of reviews they got (although I get the feeling that many were not quite as overwhelmingly positive as mine). I sort of have to keep it to myself... So I'm sharing it all here.

And you know what? I'm freaking proud.



Of course, they gave me some things to work on over break (mostly my Movement Professor, as my body is mysteriously TOO loose -- the opposite of the problem that most people have).

- "She needs to amplify her understanding with hard facts about body mechanics. I suggest she get the Anatomy Coloring Book and do the skeleton with colors, and take a look at the muscles and their uses." (That's right... I'm in graduate school, and my homework is COLORING.)

- "Continuing to work on form and alignment in any stretch will help to protect her joints and back."

- On my flexibility: "...this needs addressing constantly for good use of body; in life, and for elegance and precise control onstage."

- "Her release work was hampered by one of the few tight muscle groups in her body: her inner thighs."

- "Angela needs to work on form, control, and precision of her movement in space."

- "Holding patterns present are in: head, shoulders, and knees."

- "She could now begin to play with a more subtle response to impulse. Everything has a tendency to be large in scale. This is good and appropriate for first semester in acting. In movement next semester she can work on the small shape, the smaller but still accurate and expressive response, through the movement monologue work and 'little bears'." (No, I don't know what "little bears" is.)

- "[Applying alignment work] is a challenge for Angela. Her body is impulsive, but her sensory awareness gives her too much -- or faulty -- information at times. Our job together is to figure out how to edit out unnecessary information and to figure out exactly how she can self-direct into neutrality. She should do the 'daily dozen' every day and work on her neutral walk every day. She can call me for a brief tutorial over break to check up on accuracy."

- "A slight pause between rib swing and sending, which needs to be deleted; as you become more proficient with supporting your voice you should find more flow. This will help to allow your vocal support to have ease, and in moving directly from open-the-mouth to open-the-rib to engaging-the-support-haaaaaa, without any pause."

- "Keep developing psychophysical awareness of your everyday-life actions and sensations. You sensory-type imagination will help you in this work; don't think it inferior to any other type of imagination, such as visual or auditory. Feed and nurture your physical memory and imagination; it is responsible for many of your heightened emotional stage moments."

- "Continue mastering 'the psychology of an improvising actor'."

- "As you acquire a habit for observing life and people around you and using these observations as a basis for inner characterization, trust your intuition and allow intangible things to lead you in your work over the winter break."


I know that seems like a lot, but it really isn't too bad. And all the things I need to work on were said in a positive way. And frankly, I knew that I needed to work on them.

I'm pleased as punch.


After the professors all read their statements, the head of the program said what the PROGRAM thinks of me (as opposed to individual professors). He said that I'm clearly growing, clearly working hard, and clearly talented. He said they're all excited to continue working with me, and congratulated me on such a successful first semester.

Is it wrong to want to frame my evaluations? Because I kinda do...


May you know how far you've come.

~A~


P.S. I also may have discovered my "type", if I have one. My Movement Professor says that I'm "destined to do comedies". She says I'm very funny, and that "people want to laugh" at me. We'll see if that holds true!