IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND THE TABLE: A CREATIVE ENDEAVOR IN MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE

Abstract

I’ve wanted to be a musical theatre performer since I was a little girl. I loved to sing and dance and play pretend, and being able to study what I love is an utter blessing. I’ve learned that in order to accomplish what I dream of, being a performer takes so much more than just singing or dancing. There’s a unique process each performer must develop in order to be successful. It varies from individual to individual, and it is crucial to understanding who we each are as artists. This project where I develop and direct a performance entitled Home: Night of Musical Theatre as well as perform in an ECU theatrical production (Hands on a Hardbody) is meant to help provide clarity towards that idea and gaining a better insight into the processes that actors develop and use in their line of work, as well as show a personal growth and take-away from two different sides of the theatrical “table”: director and performer.