Notes from a student – PAA Ensemble Theatre

My name is R.F. This year, I am going to be a senior in high school and I’m so glad I’ve gotten to do Peter Pan through the Performing Arts Academy over the last two weeks. The role that I was graciously chosen for was the one and only James Hook, captain of the Jolly Roger. Though it has been a struggle, it being my first PAA show, I’ve had a lot of fun preparing, as the program has a lot to offer.

I first decided to join PAA this show because of my sister, who played Peter Pan. She has done a few shows with PAA, and my family and I decided it would be fun if my sister and I finally got to do a show together before she starts high school. During the two week program I’ve learned a lot by not only acting as Hook, but the classes we participated it. I believe the two I benefited the most from were dancing and acting. I learned a lot about different forms of dance, character development, and pantomiming. At time it was a struggle to keep up but I got the hang of it eventually. There were other classes, such as singing and music theory, but having some experience in that field already, they weren’t too difficult. Though it wasn’t easy, I think I learned a fairly good amount from this two week intensive course.

It’s very interesting spending seven hours at a camp per day. Despite being one of the oldest there, I was able to meet a lot of new people. Overall, I enjoyed the camp and all it had to offer.

A note from PAA: Why the initials instead of R.F.’s full name? We love our students and work hard to keep them safe, especially online.  So we will never post pictures along with student names.