Grounded, Witness of War

For my Barrett Honors creative project, I performed George Brant's emotionally gripping and timely one-woman play entitled "Grounded" which tells the story of a fighter pilot who was recommissioned to fly drones after becoming pregnant. The effects of the demanding routine of a drone pilot are masterfully captured as the pilot endures a decline in psychological state caused by the daily circumstances of a pilot fighting in drone warfare. In addition to the performance, I kept a written journal on which I have reflected and summarized in my thesis. The creative project has indeed been one of my most challenging, yet rewarding experiences in performance thus far. With the incredible guidance of Micha Espinosa and Jennifer Linde, I was able to achieve a feat of memorizing and performing an hour and ten minute play that really tested my capacity as an actor. It expanded my skill set as an actor and allowed me to play a female role that escapes the "ingenue role" that I have been cast as constantly in my performance career. I have divided my reflection journal into four separate sections: Statement of Purpose, Background Information on Drone Warfare, Character Development and Methodological Process, Performance Reflection and "Talk-Back." These sections guide the reader through my development from the beginning of the process all the way to final performance.