Performance Acting: Post Grad with Alice Zheng
Performance at The Creative School focuses on preparing our graduates with a range of skills they can use to succeed in any industry. For Performance Acting, students train in theatrical acting, performance creation, film acting, movement, voice, motion capture, as well as working with nationally acclaimed guest directors and professional companies. With graduation on the horizon, we are focusing on the different paths our students take upon graduating.
This week upcoming Performance Acting grad Alice Zheng shares some of her favourite moments from rehearsal projects!
Post-graduation, I dream of acting in a horror movie or show. Despite personally finding the genre too terrifying to watch, I am eager to explore the process and understand the behind-the-scenes efforts that create such intense viewer experiences.
Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh
In the Performance Acting program students are involved with various experiential learning opportunities including several feature performances in front of a live public audience. For Alice, in her first semester of fourth year she was involved in an industry partnership between Tarragon Theatre (external link) and Performance. The project Click Bush Train Bug (pictured right) involved guidance from a professional director, Christina Pastor and working with a developing playwright, Camille Intson.
In her final semester Alice worked on another professional performance opportunity, this time Memory Retrograde by Haruna Lee and directed by guest artist Alison Wong (pictured above and below). During this project Alice shares that "We began with detailed tablework, gaining a deep understanding of our characters' desires and needs. This thorough preparation made the transition to blocking and running the show seamless."
From her time at Performance, Alice learned that "It's alright not to be the best at everything. Missing out on certain opportunities doesn't reflect on your abilities. A single standout performance or role can have significant impact. It's also crucial to forge strong connections with your instructors, who are active industry professionals, and to seek their mentorship."
During rehearsals, we engaged in character-based exercises, including playing games like hide and seek, tag, and red-light-green-light. This not only helped us tap into the competitive adrenaline our characters experienced, but also resulted in one of my favourite scenes to perform during the actual shows.
Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh
Alice in her final show with Performance, Memory Retrograde.
Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh
