My College Journey Through Theater

Over the course of this past semester I really only got the chance to blog once or twice. Never in a million years could I have expected to have such a busy second semester my senior year. However I would like to make up all those missed blog post by giving a thorough reflection on my education over the past four years and the role that theater has played in it... It truly has been one hell of a ride and I promise anyone who bothers to read this blog post will definitely know me better by the end of it even though I may never see some of you again :(

I came into the college bright eyed and naive in the fall of 2008. I was intending on being an economics major and most likely getting a business related job post graduation. Little did I know that the senior me would scoff at the idea of a nine to five, screaming 'give me liberty or give me death' :)

My first foray into theater came with when the purple settles and I basically had to dive right in. After seeing the stress, hard work, open mindedness, and dedication of the actors in my crew I started contemplating a theater major. Although that did not happen in its entirety (ended up as an Asian American theatre and film major) I can definitely say my life has been enriched by theatre.

In my four years at William and Mary, I have learned about Balinese, Japanese, Chinese, and Indian theatre. I read some epics that I wasn't even taught while I lived in the motherland from 1990 to 2000. One of the most fascinating things to me was the ethical dilemmas posed but never answered in the Ramayana.

Through acting I was able to see things differently, react to circumstances I myself would never be in but the character I'm playing is - and ultimately be more understanding towards others. Whether I'm simply doing the Noh walk with slow controlled movements or working a complex internal monologue while acting through established blocking I get a new outlook and perspective on life. This is a feeling that, while I have learned all sorts of important facts and figures at the business school, I never felt.

Thanks to theatre I have raped, loved, cared, killed, and committed suicide on stage. Through classes i've walked like a Japanese ghost, worn robes in class, learned yoga, became a better masseuse, seen a movie about gay martial arts lovers, learned tension relieving breathing exercises, and how to walk like ravana, monkeys, Rama, and Sita. All I have just listed just scratches the surface.

Looking back, this seems like a very very off the wall four years, but it all took time and I truly feel like I'm walking away with a taste of the world - a truly international feeling.