An Evening of Song, Plus Reflections by Theater Majors on the Creative Process

The Theater Arts Program at American International College proudly presented: An Evening of Song,  student voice recital.  Theater Arts, along with the English, Communications and Visual & Digital Arts programs, comprise the Division of Communication and the Arts. Division Chair Professor Frank Borelli distilled the essence of our goals by stating, "we believe that each student is an artist and a communicator".   

Visual and Digital Arts Professor John Nordell photographed the Evening of Song.  As most of the performers had taken Nordell's art course Cultivating Creativity, he asked them to reflect on manifestations of the creative process found in both the visual and performing arts.

Angelee Diaz, soprano

Angelee wrote: When creating art you are throwing yourself and your opinions on a canvas, sketchbook, wall, etc.  Just as in theater and singing you're making yourself vulnerable to the audience and showing yourself or getting so deep into character it feels real.  The creative process for these two things are very similar.  Putting yourself out there and communicating what you are trying to represent or show is part of my process.  I want to show this, or I want this to represent that, because I feel a certain way towards this. These are things you try and think about when you start the process.  Trial and error is how we learn from the process too.  I've had countless art projects where things didn't go my way and I had to find a solution to fix it.  Just as in acting on stage when you forget a line or your blocking, you have to improvise and find a way to push through. It is frustrating at times but it's manageable.

Universe by Angelee Diaz
A brain in the center is surrounded by the roller coaster of life,
which is adorned with drawings of various modern world stressors.

Alexander Torres, tenor

Alexander wrote: In the fall of 2017, Puerto Rico was struck by a devastating hurricane.  Maria’s ravenous winds blew away our normalcy; the heavy rains washed away the foundation we stood on.  Our lives were forever changed by this catastrophe, but I was determined to rise from the rubble.  I always wanted to go to college in the USA and study theatre there, and AIC gave me the means to follow that path after the hurricane.  I now bear that pain front and center when I perform.  I use it to fuel my creative process, and I use the songs I chose for the recital as a way to express myself, and share my emotions with my audience, let them feel like I felt.  I think there’s value in sharing that experience indirectly through art.

Alexander Torres, tenor

Khamari Hamblin, bass

Khamari engaged in the first stage of the creative process by writing a project plan before starting his painting shown below:  My artwork will be with painting, which is really difficult for me to use, but why not? It will be using the colors of the American Flag and the color black. This is going to be MLK’s dream mixed with the American Dream.  It will have mixed feelings involved, too.

The Colorized Dreams by Khamari Hamblin 

Khamari Hamblin, bass

Dante Hayes, tenor

Moving to Space by Dante Hayes

Dante explains the creative process of making Moving to Space:

The performers salute accompanist Devon Louise Bakum