Follies this year was an incredible showcase of all the talent at Booth, whether in acting, dancing, scriptwriting, directing, or filmmaking. The experience was filled with laughter, nostalgia, and a serious dose of Booth pride (incoming students: do not miss this).
I decided to sit down with my friend Stephanie Saade, ’19, and ask her about her experience with Follies. Though she has never acted before, she decided to take on not one but three roles at this year’s show. Here, she shares why she decided to participate and what she got out of the experience.
Q: Tell me a bit more about why you decided to participate in Follies
A: I decided to participate because I got really good feedback from it last year. A lot of people told me it was so much fun to be part of something different, something a bit more artistic, not necessarily professional or academic. I also thought it would be a great opportunity to meet other 2Y Boothies that I might not have interacted with as much. And it was a great opportunity to get to meet first years.
Q: So how did you decide on roles that you got or on choosing to actvs. dance?
A: I wanted to try acting because it’s something I’ve never done before. I really like to try new things and I felt like this was a lower risk environment given I’d be acting in front of other students.
Q: You’ve never acted before. What was rehearsal like for this?
A: Because I’ve never acted before I felt like I needed to be more professional about it. I was one of the first people to memorize my lines. I felt like I needed to do my role as well as I could so that even if the acting didn’t turn out as well, I could at least show that I was putting in the effort.
Q: How did it feel being on stage?
A: It felt really nice. The scariest part is right before the lights go on—you can see the whole crowd. But the interesting thing is, the second the lights go on, you can no longer see the crowd and you get so immersed in the sketch you really just focus on your part.
Q: What have you learned from your Follies experience that you will take with you post-Booth?
A: The biggest thing I learned is to take more risks. I felt like Follies was a risk and it really paid off because I enjoyed it and met a lot of people. It really showed me that I’d like to keep trying new things and putting myself out there.
Q: Any advice for incoming students who are considering Follies?
A: I think everyone should try something like Follies. There are so many benefits: you meet so many cool and fun people across different years, you also discover a different side of people. Everyone around me was very talented and it was great to see some Boothies in a new light. I definitely recommend it, it was a lot of fun.
