The Importance of Team Motivation Abroad

While abroad, I have tried to accomplish as much as possible academically, however, my greatest accomplishments were not mine but those of others I have contributed to and positively impacted. One of my greatest accomplishments is my encouragement, support, and motivation for my peers as they worked on our recent production of “The Duchess of Malfi”, by John Webster. For the show, my peers and I worked on a classical dramatic tragedy with complex text, over one hundred lines, and a short rehearsal process. We were only given less than four weeks to rehearse the show and put on an artistic performance.

Immediately upon receiving our task, many of my peers were worried. With so many lines, a short rehearsal process, and sometimes indecipherable text, this had been everyone’s biggest challenge. Specifically, one of my peers, who was from Cyprus and whose first language was Greek, not English, was afraid to perform because of the intricacies of the language. However, I reminded him that he was a talented artist and would give an amazing performance. Hearing me say this to him emboldened him, and he hesitantly but bravely began looking into understanding the play and his character and formulating his performance. Moreover, despite my peers’ initial fear, everyone began to head on our journey toward theatrical artistry.

In our beginning rehearsals, everyone in the cast felt unsure of their performance within the show. I had many conversations before, during, and after rehearsals where many of my peers would convey to me that they felt lost and did not feel confident in their performance. Listening to everyone and providing solutions like rereading the play, fleshing out the character, and analyzing the show, I tried my best to aid my peers. Additionally, if they were uncertain about their lines, I would often run lines with them for clarity and help them solidify their performance. No matter how frightened my peers became, I constantly encouraged them about their unique ability as an artist and applauded them for their hard work and dedication. My motto during our four-week rehearsal was that “We are capable, talented, and going to have a wonderful performance”, no matter how we all felt, and for our performance, my motto proved true!

On the morning of the performance, everyone was nervous, however, beginning it, we began to bring it to life and entertained our audience. Through our profound acting, everyone was so proud and impressed by their performance. Even my peer from Cyprus was proud of himself and realized he could explore any role artistically!

My experience of working with my peers on the show reinforced to me that motivating others is incredibly effective because it gives everyone the ability to receive the support and encouragement they need. Supporting others is integral to the success of any project and is as important as the goal. My time abroad has taught me so many valuable lessons about teamwork, and I cannot wait to apply them in my home country!