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Final Post

I am back at school and it’s rainy now, and I find myself missing the snow puddles of New York. At first, being back home was hard. To be quite honest, I was going through a hard time personally. After experiencing a sudden death of an old friend in early December, I was still very much in a state of shock. I wanted to be home, but I didn’t really want to face reality. The first couple of weeks before Field Work Term started were particulary hard for me because of this. But the end of the three week break I was longing for work to begin. I spent my primary Field Work Term hours at MCC Theater. MCC is a theater in the East Village which focuses mostly on producing new work from up and coming playwrights. The theater has a pretty good reputation in New York for finding plays that no one else would dare to produce. it was founded in 1986 by a group of young artists in Manhattan, who now run Telsey and Company, one of the biggest casting offices in the city. MCC has a youth department which is a major part of the company and what it is known for. I was part of this company in high school. I joined as a scared freshman when I was fourteen. It completely changed my life. I spent my Field Work Term working with my old teachers and the head of the education department. I was the assistant teacher for both the playwriting and acting labs. I also once or twice would have an office day, where I would learn more about the administrative side of the arts. I also helped out with master classes and ran social media for the Youth Company. I was really surprised how my independent project, which was finishing my second full length play, was really influenced by my work with the Youth Company. The kids have to write all of their own monologues and scenes, so I was able to be surrounded by young writers. What some of these students are going through absolutely amazing. They seem to find beauty in everything. It was one of the main influences that kept me writing. I decided when writing I would not stay at home, but instead try to find little books and crannies around the neighborhood where I could get work done. I also was able to meet up and write with other Bennington students who also had to write plays for their independent projects. One of the highlights for me this Field Work Term was a showcase the kids put on called On The Fly. The Youth Company members arrived at our studios at four for a show at seven. In this time they had to write their own pieces that were ready to preform by seven. Watching them go through this process was really intense. These kids were able to come up with beautiful, funny and sometimes heartbreaking pieces in such a short period of time. I honestly couldn't believe it. While I was in the city I also tried to see a lot of theater. I was able to sit in on a couple of rehearsals for my old playwriting teacher's new play which is currently off broadway. It was really exciting to see him in a professional setting and not just a classroom. I also attending multiple shows while I was in the city, the highlights being Machinal on Broadway which I was in at Bennington and Kung Fu at Signature Theatre. I think it was really important for me as a writer to see plays while I was at home, it really helped me motivate myself with my own writing. I think next year, although I really liked being home, I want to travel for my Field Work Term. It was a little bit of a hard adjustment going from the freedom of my first term to back to living under my parent's roof. I'm very close with my family though, so by the end of my first term I was really ready to see them again. I had a really positive first Field Work Term experience. I am really glad I chose to make a blog. I was able to shares experiences with friends and family. The Youth Company even posted the link for my blog on their Facebook page. I feel like through the blog I was able to capture my experience in a way I wouldn’t be able to with an essay. It felt like almost a scrapbook to me. I know next year, when I start my second Field Work term, I will look back at this to remind me of what I learned.

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On the Fly! Kids came in and had four hours to write and perform their own writing for alumni and theater professionals. Amazing day

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Typical field work term morning

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Profiles

Spent my last couple of days creating profiles on important figures who were photographed in the photographer exhibit Save the Village. The playwriting students are going to visit this exhibit this week and will use the packets I have created for writing prompts for scenes. http://www.stevenkasher.com/exhibition/101/exhibition_works/list/

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Miss this and that dress

Meet the Playwrights from 2013 FreshPlay!

Sasha Duprey, Yadi Guevara-Prip, Lily Houghton, Isaiah Leaks, and Michael Sypa

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Check out the blog I made for the company!!

In case you missed Youth Company alum Julissa’s amazing speech at the Miscast Gala last year, here is an excerpt: "I remember my first performance of our annual show UnCensored. I wrote a spoken word piece about the challenges I face being a Dominican female growing up in the South Bronx. It...

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Miss this office already

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That’s what we’re all looking for…unconditional loyalty. When you come right down to it. That’s what we secretly pray for, day in and day out. Don’t you think? Absolute forgiveness.

Sam Shepard  (via maggiiemariee)

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What is going on?

Why are my two last posts not showing :(

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Ambassador Class

From yesterday: 

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January 31st

Office day! Currently making a blog for the youth company and gathering alumni profiles. Also making copies of scripts for tomorrow and adding the students original work to the Uncensored binder, which is the first steps in creating the big show.

Tonight I am going to sit in on rehearsal and meet up with my old director and playwriting teacher. Can't wait!

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From my play reading!

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Old posters in the office

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Typing up monologues

From Mauritius: 

Jackie

My CHARACTER? I have no character. What I have is two tiny tiny slips of paper, so small that they barely exist, and I’m going to take them, and I’m going to stab myself in the chest with a pair of really sharp scissors, and then I’m going to put those two tiny tiny slips of paper inside my body, right where my heart is supposed to be. And then I’m going to grow a pair of wings, not beautiful wings, BUG wings, the kind that move real fast. And then I’m going to go. Somewhere. Where they like tall girls, with bug wings. And then I’m going to lay in the sun and have a margarita. (beat.)

You don’t get it yet, but you will. Two little slips of paper. And I am born. “You’re an interesting girl, Jackie” He has no idea. You come in here, you act like you know something, like you have rights. You left. The fucking apocalypse fell on this family and YOU LEFT. And as a consequence I’ve earned these fucking stamps and I’m going to sell them. And you think you’re going to stop me? You’ll lose. 

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January 24th

Day in the office, here is the checklist for today: 

Add to school contacts

Tally up hours

Add and clean up the monthly newsletter

Check on gmail account for students

Upload video from master class

Create testimonial forms

Fill out my own testimonial

Type of Mauritius monologue

Invites to On The Fly (showcase)

Theater happening in May through August

Check scene binder

Research college tours

:)

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Masterclass group photo!

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Masterclass

"I have stories I want to tell outside of other stories people have given me"- Zoey Martinson during the master class