Perspective for Panda

This past week, I was away at KCACTF. (You can read more about it here.) I had a good time, it was fun to hang out with other Muhlenberg friends and attend the festival.

What I wanted to talk about was perspective. It is very easy to fall into what we call the "Muhlenberg Bubble". Being a small school, all the theatre majors all know each other and are familiar with each others work. Seeing the hundreds and hundreds of other students, watching their work, seeing them perform, it was a very interesting experience. In a way, it made me very grateful for the training I have received. I don't want to sound pretentious, saying that Muhlenberg is better than anywhere else, but I am definitely proud of what I have learned, proud to be a Berg student. It was enlightening to be able to have discussions about other student's work, to dissect and analyze performances in an intellectual way. In a way, it was like my training was put to the test in a semi-real-world setting. At least, an outside the Muhlenberg bubble setting. To be able to recognize the techniques I have been learning in people other than those I've been watching for these past four years solidified my training.

Sometimes our discussions did get a little pretentious. I try very hard not to say negative things about others, for I am very frightened of what others may be saying about me, and karma is a bitch. So I did a great deal of listening. I go through the world like a sponge- I absorb everything that happens around me, and file it away in my mental filing cabinet for later use. Meal times were an interesting affair, as people raved about one actor or another, complained about this choice or that, and munched on their food.

Usually these pretentious ramblings would turn to fun and frivolity before long. Berg Bubble Syndrome doesn't last long outside of campus. Conversation about an actor would suddenly turn to a comparison of actors, to students, to some other topic far from the original. The mind is an amazing thing when paired with several others- the line of thought can be hard to follow as each person struggles to be heard. This is why I listen more than participate. I follow these lines in their twists and turns. I see new connections I would not otherwise make on my own. I see things from the outside. A new perspective.

I'd like to think I'm ready for this scary real-world. I can see now that I have received very top-notch training, I am good at what I do, and I am beginning to grow beyond what I see around me. Sometimes getting away from your surroundings can really make you see how you fit in the rest of the world.

The new semester starts on tuesday. I'm looking forward to it. Bring on second semester senior year, I'm ready to get ready for the world.