I have always had a huge passion for acting. In 7th grade, a senior student directed my drama class. They helped me grow and gain a great understanding of drama as a class and how it can affect other people. I knew from the moment she mentored me that I wanted to do the same thing as she. I talked with my drama teacher, Mrs. Farrant, and decided I was going to student-direct the 6th-period drama class.

I began my internship a few days into the school year. I had already decided on the play that they were going to perform. The play was called “The Day the Internet Died” by Ian McWethy and Jason Pizzarello. The play follows a town’s reaction to the internet going out for days. Seeing as the 7th graders grew up with TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube readily available at any moment, I figured that they would be able to portray these characters very well. After a table readthrough, they agreed that this was the play that they wanted to do. Mrs. Farrant and I began by having the kids memorize their lines in small groups so that they could practice their scenes individually rather than have the class only practice one scene at a time. Eventually, we moved over to having the students practice on stage with blocking (each person’s position on the stage). They began to get the hang of being on stage and showing good stage presence, so we started running the play with lights, microphones, and sound. This encouraged the students to hone their skills because they realized that their performance was approaching very quickly.

With the weather being very unpredictable during this time, the class persevered. They pulled together and put on two great performances one on Wednesday, January 17th, and another on Thursday, January 18th. This class was a very good learning experience for not only the students but also for me. The students learned how to speak clearly and fluently in front of a public crowd which will help them out when it comes to future schooling in Penns Valley or beyond. My main takeaway from this class was how to teach a group of people a topic in which they have had no prior background. This took patience, but it paid off in the end. I can also implement the strategies that this class used for memorization in my advanced drama class next semester. This was a very fun opportunity which I was allowed to do, and I hopefully sparked a passion for drama in these kids the same way my mentor did to me.