Picture yourself standing in a room filled with nervous energy. You think over the weeks of rehearsal, the long nights perfecting your performance, the countless times you’ve practiced your lines. Your heart pounds in your chest, and the room goes quiet as the results are announced, and then you hear it. You qualified for state.
For senior Zeina Eisawy, that moment was incredibly shocking. She qualified for her group scene performance and had a state-winning play.
“I went in thinking I was not going to qualify for anything since judging is so subjective. I was extremely shocked when I found out I did. My heart was racing so fast I could hear it in my ears,” she expressed.
It’s a thrilling experience to be recognized for one’s talent in the way qualifiers have been, and behind every performance is a lot of time and dedication. The work our Thespians put into preparing for these events is extremely admirable, spanning from weeks to multiple months.
“For my play, I have spent five months writing and polishing. When I found out about my play, I started crying tears of joy because the play means a lot to me, and I couldn’t believe it won,” Eisawy explained.
Qualifying for state is no small accomplishment. It takes a lot of courage and bravery to participate in competitions and put yourself in the vulnerable position of being judged and critiqued. Despite her success, Eisawy admitted she entered with her nerves high.
“Going into regionals, I was super nervous because you never really know what to expect. Considering it was my senior year, I felt a lot of pressure to qualify. But the nerves went away when I started performing because I just let myself have fun and stopped worrying about the results,” she said.
Her shift in mindset after she began her performance is something she highlights her pride in. Instead of viewing it solely as a contest, she embraced the opportunity to have fun and show creative expression.
“I’m proud of the fact I put myself out there without expecting anything in return, and purely letting myself enjoy the performance aspect regardless of if it was a competition,” she said. “It has made me more confident in myself and my work. Seeing all the great things the judges had to say made me realize I shouldn’t be so hard on myself.”
As our qualifying Thespians prepare to take the stage at state, they should focus on not only their scripts and performances, but also their pride, confidence and the support that helped get them there.
