<p>So I've spent 15 of my 18 years dancing. I'm extremely accomplished in ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary dance. I've always liked plays and acting, however, and in middle school I was in the fall play and the musical. In high school, however, dance became a bigger priority and I had to give up all my after school time to take ballet classes, pointe classes, and go to Nutcracker rehearsals. </p>
<p>...fast forward. It's senior year. I'm not going to be a prima ballerina when I grow up, I know that much, but I am considering using my stage experience, love of performing, memorization abilities, and emotional range to benefit me in college. Specifically, I'm thinking about joining a theater troupe in college. I'm not going to be a theater major. As a matter of fact, I'm likely majoring in Philosophy because I like to write and analyze and I have a thing for moral ambiguity ;) </p>
<p>Basically what I want to know is HOW on earth am I going to do this? I haven't been in any plays in high school because I have been so committed to dance! I don't have any monologues memorized! I feel inadequate...I know college is a great place to explore, but how much exploration can I do without having participated in theatre as a youth? What should I do to prepare myself, and how am I going to be treated? Will I face a lot of animosity for being such a noob?</p>
<p>I guess what I want to know is this: how necessary is it to have been in every single play at your high school? Does anyone really care about what you did in high school? Is college more or less a fresh, clean slate or will I be light years behind everyone else?</p>
<p>I would suggest that you join some form of a club. Maybe you could try acting at a local theater to see if it interests you. However, if you enjoy performing and memorizing, I would advise that you give it a try. Don’t feel like you are going to be treated poorly. Just realize that while you may not be as good as everyone else originally, as time progresses, you will learn and develop new skills. Ultimately, it would just take a little practice. If it interests you, I would try it out and see. You may be better than you originally though:)</p>
<p>Also, if you have some idle time left not spent on dancing/any other activities you do, take some time to study other actors/actresses. Maybe analyze specific clips in which they starred in.</p>
<p>I’ve had thoughts on taking some acting classes (which I never followed through), and the main question that ALWAYS popped in my head was, “all these actors/actresses have read through the script MANY times, so obviously they’ll know what’s coming. How can they express their expressions they do? For example, someone dies, and I knew it was coming, and it was rehearsed several times already; how do I keep the same emotional effect?”</p>
<p>The key thing to acting is, well, to act.</p>
<p>I know it’s an obvious point, but it’s also key to the path you’re taking, and to evaluate it.</p>