The end of an era. It was an absolutely amazing honor to graduate with all of my astounding classmates. I'm not sure I can really grasp how much I gained from AADA these two years. Heck, I thought acting was just showing when I arrived in New York...boy was that snapped out of me. I had the privilege to learn from the masters, great teachers like Chris Dolman, Jackie Solitaire, Barbara Rubin, Joel Brady, Janis Powell, Kyle Fabel, David Dean Bottrell, and Sheila Bandyapadhyay. They gave me unforgettable acting lessons, "Talk from your heart," Jackie would tell us. Or how about "Truthful, moment to moment, spontaneous, off of your partner, from your own point of view, under imaginary circumstances" from Janis. Those are things I tell myself now just before I go on to act in anything, I use it in rehearsal, for auditions, you name it. There is something to be said about the first quote though, "Talk from your heart," its really just advice for life in general isn't it? That's something I learned from these two years...advice for life. Its not just acting, these techniques can lead you to live a better, more honest life. They can teach your to listen to the people around you, to truly look at someone and take in what they are telling you. I can't wait to use these skills out there. I'll end with a huge thank you to all my mentors at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, thank you for changing the way I see the world, and more importantly, myself.
