differently. For example, I did not give Tony Eady a southern accent. I focused on pitching my voice lower to distinguish Tony Eady from Michael Tubbs. For Quinton’s version, he would pitch his voice a bit lower and use a southern accent. I liked his choice for doing that and it worked well; however, I did not think that would translate as well if I did the same. 

Working with a double helped me inform how I should play each of these people and helped me achieve to be near word perfection. Since this show is centered around the words that these people said in the interviews with the playwright, our cast took careful consideration in how we portrayed them. Working with Quinton was helpful to bounce ideas off and to dig deeper into the monologue. Also, it was helpful to run the monologues with each other since we could help each other pinpoint areas where we were struggling. 

          I found the process of this show to be very enlightening. Portraying a person who I don’t share an identity with was a difficult task to take on. I wanted to make sure that I portrayed them exactly how they were written and how they were in the interview. I didn’t want to make a caricature of the people so the process during rehearsal was very important and helpful. We had many discussions during rehearsal, working with my double Quinton, and researching on my own helped me form a coherent vision of who Michael and Tony were. For the first time, I really felt like I completely stepped into someone else’s shoes. For instance, Tony Eady is a very hard person to like. He thinks he is helping the kids but is rather causing more harm and contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline. This experience pushed me to have empathy and understanding with people I disagree with. It was a difficult process; however, I believe it paid off. 

          During the run, it was interesting to see what parts of the show the audience reacted to. For instance, during Lectica’s monologue, the audience usually reacted to her revealing that the geese got stuffed. Talking with other cast mates, we were surprised that the audience reacted to that part and not the paragraph before. There are always spots that the audience reacts to that the cast and crew didn’t before and I always loved being surprised 

          Moreover, during rehearsals and tech, I struggled a bit with making sure I talked to all sides of the audience. During the run, it was much easier to move and to talk to each side of the audience since I was able to see where everyone was instead of pretending when I was in rehearsals. I had an easier time connecting and showing the idea that I was talking with the audience like they were the interviewer. I found delivering the monologues easier during the run than in tech since I focused on connecting with the audience rather than overthinking my movement. Being in the run helped me be more grounded in my character and the moment while performing. Moreover, it was interesting to see how the content of the show connected and moved people. Talking to friends, family, and others who went, it was really cool to see what parts resonated with people. I am hoping that this experience for the audience helped kickstart more conversations about the school-to-prison pipeline and racial inequality in America. 

          Finally, I learned during this process that I enjoy dance. I don’t consider myself a dancer. I have taken one dance class and a couple of movement workshops but nothing beyond that. Working with Tanji on movement helped me discover a new side to myself. I knew that these dance pieces that I was in would push me outside of my comfort zone. My favorite part of the show was dancing in “Amen.” I loved how “Amen” left the show on a hopeful note (holding a similar tone to John Lewis’s monologue). After when I complete my degree here, I want to explore more of my movement abilities. This experience unlocked a new love that I did not know that I had.