Reflective Essay

With completing the given assignment of directing and acting out the popular
Shakespearean play titled ‘Macbeth’ in a slightly orthodox method compared to previous
years; we have to learnt many things that a student in a normal situation would not be able
to experience, considering the unique situation that we are now in.

Our country issuing a ‘Movement Control Order’ (MCO) in order to curb the
increasing rate of infected individuals, has just been the first phase in minimising the
spreading of this infectious virus, amidst the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world since
early January. At the time, we were positive that by the end of the MCO period, we would
still be able to put on our play, despite the fact that the production period would be short and
we would have to rush by a small margin. However, with the extension of the MCO until 28
April, we would be unable to put on the production as the submission period would have
already passed by the time we would be allowed to go back to IPG Campus Ipoh.

For myself, the most significant experience I have learnt is that being resourceful is
essential for our unique situation. As the head of costume design, I had already coordinated
the costumes and ordered some essential pieces online so that once we were allowed to go
back by the 31st of March, we would have the costumes ready to go and would put all our
concentration into practicing our lines and preparing the props needed for the production.
However, with the announcement of submitting our respective parts via google drive, there
was no way to send the respective costumes on time to the respective characters who live
throughout Malaysia. As a result, I have asked all the characters to source parts of their
costume using things that are already laying in their homes and find alternatives to
accurately form their costumes.

Our unique situation has also provided me with the opportunity to learn basic editing,
something that I had never done before prior. A classmate of mine has been immensely
helpful in teaching all of us the function of ‘Green screen’, and how we could change the
background of our videos to suit the medieval theme of ‘Macbeth’. Her help has also taught
me that although we are all apart, we can still help each other out and cooperate in order to
complete the assignment. This knowledge is essential to me as a learner because in the
future I would be expected to be proficient in editing in order to complete assignments and
create videos to aid in the teaching process.

With hurdles came different strengths I discovered about myself. I felt that this
learning experience is a ridiculously huge step because it helps us practice in fluency, public
speaking and mostly self-confidence. In the play I developed my ways of acting and how to
put emotions into the character. I think that I had tried my best but not yet my best effort
because there was little of time and there a lot of pressure while practicing and performing. If
there was one more chance, I would do better.

(528 words)
Reference
Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. Oxford: Jossey-Bass
Publishers.

Plymouth University, Learning Development. (2010) Reflection. Retrieved from:

www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk/ LDstudyguides/pdf/11Reflection.pdf

University of the Arts London. (2007). Visual Directions. Guidelines on Reflective writing.
Retrieved from:
http://www.arts.ac.uk/cetl/visualdirections/flash/reflective/flash_reflective_textversion.
htm

Williams, K, Woolliams, M and Spiro, J. (2012). Reflective Writing. Basingstoke: Palgrave

MacMillan.