Weekly Blog: My Experience of One Year Part-Time Acting Course with Alexandra Ryan (Term 3: Final Week)

Friday, June 28th, 2013 at 10:46 am | Uncategorized

As I’m writing this I actually can’t believe that a full school year has passed at the Gaiety School Of Acting, Dublin, and now it’s all over

I have been blogging about the One Year Part Time Performance course all year, and it feels so weird that this will be my last post.

On Wednesday night my class and I gave our final performances in a public showcase, and from feeling sick with nerves all day to having laughs in between transitions (hiding backstage) it was a day of mixed emotions.

Last October our class met each other for the first time, and looking back, we were completely different people. We all came from different backgrounds, with different levels of acting experience, but on Wednesday we all left as equals.

I have done tonnes of acting courses over the years and I have never grown so close to my class mates as I have done on this course. And while we were all sad to say goodbye to the Gaiety, and our amazing teacher Antoinette Duffy, we were definitely most upset about the thought of not spending two nights a week together.

The lovely Donal Courtney presented us all with our certificates on Wednesday night and a picture of the class together, which we all signed. Donal spoke to us about the importance of continuing our learning process, and I know we will be seeing some familiar faces at the Advanced Performance course next year.

I have learned so much during this course. Not only has it made more confident as an actress but I have learned essential techniques that I will never forget, whether on the stage or in front of the camera. From understanding text analysis to learning how to be a clown and feel muscles in my body that I didn’t even know existed, I have definitely grown as a performer.

I want to take this opportunity to thank our teacher Antoinette who at times was extremely patient with us, and at other times kicked us in the ass when we needed it.

Most importantly I want to thank and congratulate everyone in the class of 2012/2013. Meave, Chris, Adam, Niall, Colin, Lorena, Ari, Sharon, Vivienne, Jonathan, Conor, Gabby and Joanne, you were all great to work with and always made me laugh. I couldn’t have asked for nicer people to work with and I know all of you will achieve your dreams.

And one last VERY SPECIAL mention to the amazing couple that are Lorena Suarez and Colin Weldon. Our two lovely class mates not only got to improve their acting skills this year, they also found love.

Congrats Lorena and Colin xx

Lorena and Colin announced after our showcase on Wednesday night that they are engaged!!! We couldn’t be more happier for you both, we are so excited for you and we’re so glad you found each other in our class. Wishing you the happiest life together.

Best of luck to everyone in the future and enjoy the pictures!

Ali

xx