Desdemona: An Ingenue for our Time?

I’ve spent a lot of my time here worried about whether or not I was good enough. Was I worth enough to speak up in class. Was I brave enough to trust in my acting choices. Was I kind enough to not beat myself up for what I thought were mistakes, or faults, or problems in judgement. At this time, having reached my third year, I realize that I am enough. And I think my experience as Desdemona in Othello has been the result of the culmination of my three years here. Challenges abounded, mostly regarding the way the room was run. Instead of being cowed, of being afraid to speak up when my director could not remember my name, or treated the women in the room poorly, I was able to instead have confidence in who I am as an actor, and as a person, and speak up for myself - something I’ve learned from this training. I was able to use the physical training I’ve had here to participate in fight choreography that physically and emotionally drained me every night. I was able to use my vocal training to understand how one’s character speaks after their windpipe has likely been crushed. But I return once again to how I was able to participate in the Othello room; my time spent at UCSD has taught me to take up space without apology. I am worth being treated well, and I now know how to speak up for that. My Desdemona fought, and so too do I