Spring semester of my freshman year has come to a close and I must unfortunately also say goodbye to all of the wonderful people from my acting class. I knew that I would leave this course a better actor, but I had no idea just how much I would learn about people.

1. Goals

Everyone involved in any sort of situation has a goal that they hope to achieve by the end. Sometimes this goal is small, like getting an upset friend to smile. Other times this goal is seemingly impossible, like gaining back someone's trust.

2. Obstacles

No goal comes without an obstacle. Similarly to goals, obstacles can be big or small. One example of a small obstacle would be a friend talking over you every time you tried to speak. An example of a larger obstacle would be if you urgently needed to say something to someone who couldn't hear and you didn't know sign language.

3. Tactics

Tactics are the way a character (or a person) handles an obstacle. Manipulation is one of the most common tactics used in real life.

4. Expectations

When there's a disagreement, both sides expect it to end in drastically different ways. These expectations will shape the way they handle the situation and react to developments and discoveries.

5. Stakes

The higher the stakes, the more dramatic the performance. In real life, the higher the stakes, the more pressure is felt. The people involved may even act more dramatically as well.

6. Actions

Actions often speak louder than words, and every action in an interaction has purpose.

7. Launches

A launch is the way an actor gets themself in character and amped up for their monologue. Launches also happen in real life when your mind overflows with negative thoughts before blowing up into an argument.

8. Monologues

In my acting class, we learned that the longer a monologue goes on for, the longer the character is waiting for their expected reaction from their other. The actor must keep in mind what would need to happen for the character to stop talking and how they must be feeling since they haven't. This rings true in real life as well; the longer an argument stays one sided, the more the arguer starts to panic and the stronger their emotions get.

9. Responses

Acting is all about responses. If actors in a play simply stepped on stage and recited their lines, they would leave their audience wanting more. This is because in real life, we are constantly reacting to our environments and the people around us. The more monotone and motionless a person is, the less genuine they seem.

10. Ensembles

When you're an actor, your ensemble consists of your fellow actors. They aren't just people you act alongside, they are your team, your coworkers, your friends, and your family. In real life, the people you spend the most time around form a similar sense of community.