Artist Talk: Polaroid Stories

Polaroid Stories was the third play of the semester. I was lucky enough to be a part of it. The show was intense and was about drug use, prostitution, and the lives of street kids. Being involved in this play was a great experience because I was able to play a character that I had never played before. This show made me go above and beyond roles that I’m use to. It was challenging at first to go above and beyond what you are use to but that is what theater is about.
The character I played name was Persephone. I was known as the queen of the underworld of the drug infested place all of the characters lived in. I was the most experienced in drug use, and prostitution and I was kind of like the mother to most of the other women characters. I had a huge attitude but I was knowledgeable and I made that knowledge known through my stories and through the way I presented myself to the other characters. I either did different drugs or gave drugs to other characters in the show. I think that performing such illegal acts, even though they were fake, was hard to do and to show in front of so many people. However, I think that showing this was helpful for others to understand that these problems are common in our world today especially with our youth. I feel honored to maybe have changed someone’s life based on my performance and I hope that this show educated others.
I think that theater is a great way to open peoples mind about life. Like visual art, I think that its probably one of the better ways to learn. Theater and art go hand in hand and even though they have different styles, I think that they are both influential parts of life. I focus more on the theater aspect as opposed to the visual art aspect but, I think that being involve in both types has helped me to be more knowledgeable. Being in Studio Art and being a part of the plays here at St. Mary’s has been both enjoyable and helpful for me to figure out what I love in life. I know this response is probably very corny but it’s true. I am glad that I have had the chance to be involved in both kinds of art. The play was a great production to be involved in and I hope that others appreciated watching it as much as I did performing in it.