Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

Assessment Form 2

BFA Acting and Musical Theatre Programs

Missouri State University
Department of Theatre & Dance
Acting Self-Evaluation Form

(To be completed by the acting student prior to yearly acting

assessment meeting.)

Name: Neil Cathro Program: Musical Theatre BFA Year:

Freshman

I. Performance Record. List roles in performances and/or productions since

arriving at MSU (including this semester). Please include dates (month and
year):

Name of Work Role Producing Agency Date

Fragements: A Dancer Lexa Wroniaks May 23,

Fosse Review Senior Project 2017
Spring Dance Dancer MSU Department of May 4-7th,
Concert: Movement Theatre & Dance 2017
in Flux
Flipped (Short Film) Trevor Conor Tierney April 22nd,
2017

II. Repertoire. List performance repertoire learned or performed this year in

or out of class, including acting scenes, monologues, narrative/poetry, and
songs learned in voice lessons and performance classes. Do not include
material from above:

Name of Work Role Class Date

Monologue from Billy Acting I Fall 2016

The Goat or Who is
Sylvia?
Scene from This is Warren Acting I Fall 2016
Our Youth
Poem N/A Voice and Fall 2016
Movement
Im Not Afraid of Singer Voice Lesson Fall 2016
Anything
Wick Dickon Voice Lesson Fall 2016
 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

Yesterday I Loved Sir Harry Voice Lesson Fall 2016

You
Role of a Lifetime Peter Voice Lesson Fall 2016
Run Away with Me Voice Lesson Fall 2016-
Spring
2017
Top of the World Jesse Voice Lesson Fall 2016-
Spring
2017
Purpose Princeton Voice Lesson Spring
2017
It Only Happens Don Voice Lesson Spring
When I Dance with 2017
You
Tell My Father Private Sam Taylor Voice Lesson Spring
2017
I Met a Girl Jef Voice Lesson Spring
2017
Morning Glow Pippin Voice Lesson Spring
2017
With You Pippin Voice Lesson Spring
2017
Nothing Stops Molly Voice Lesson Spring
Another Day 2017
Beautiful City Jesus Voice Lesson Spring
2017
Middle of a Moment James Voice Lesson Spring
2017
Dreamer in Disguise Tommy Voice Lesson Spring
2017
Scene from The Adam Acting II Spring
Shape of Things 2017
Scene from Chandler Acting II Spring
Shivaree Kimbrough 2017
Original Spoken Myself Intermediate Voice Spring
Word Poem and Movement 2017
Monologue from Edward N/A March
Cloud Nine 21st

III. Auditions. List performances and/or productions for which you have
auditioned prior to this assessment:

Name of Work Producing Agency

Twelfth Night MSU Department of Theatre and
 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

Dance
Midwest Auditions Multiple Theatre Companies hosted
at Webster University
Mizzou Summer Reparatory Theatre Mizzou University
Fragments: A Fosse Review Lexa Wroniaks Senior Project
Short Film Auditions for Media 597 MSU Film Department
Wired Johnny Dailey
Unified Auditions for Spring 2017 MSU Department of Theatre and
Dance
Unified Auditions for Fall 2017 MSU Department of Theatre and
Dance
In-School Players In-School Players
Cox-Bussy Scholarship MSU Department of Theatre and
Dance
Tent Theatre Summer 2017 Season Tent Theatre

IV. Other Activities. List other activities that have informed your progress
(performances for special events, certifications, University Theatre, ushering,
Departmental service, dance team, etc.).

I stage managed a Tabula Rasa One Act in the Fall

I was on Props Crew for A Little Night Music as well as helped with quick
changes and moving set pieces on and of stage.
Ushered Jordan Woods and Maria Schroders Senior Recital
Volunteered for Program Auditions and spoke on a Student Panel and a
Parents Panel

IV. Rank your progress in the measurable areas noted below:

NI =needs improvement
FP =fair progress
SP =significant progress
EP =excellent progress
NA =no improvement required
NP =does not pertain

Measurable Area Self-

Ranking
Acting Strength and Development: Includes core skills of SP
listening, responding, loss of negative self-awareness, living
in imaginary circumstances, character development,
emotional availability and risk-taking, and text analysis as
applicable to acting performance.
Movement Strength & Development: Includes core skills SP
of physical listening and responding, loss of negative physical
self-awareness, freedom from physical tension and
 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

constriction, personal fitness, and physical character

development as applicable to acting performance.
Vocal Strength and Development: Includes core skills of SP
understanding the logistics of the vocal instrument, loss of
negative vocal awareness, freedom from tension and
constriction, vocal health, projection and support, diction,
enunciation, and dialects as applicable to acting performance.
Stage Presence/Personality Strength and FP
Development: Includes the actors personal presence and
personality as related to performance work and castability in
the profession of acting performance.
Collaborative Spirit Strength and Development: FP
Includes the ability to participate in, and contribute to, a
productive and trustful ensemble-based environment in both
classroom and rehearsals.
Desire/Discipline/Work Ethic Strength and SP
Development: Includes desire for professional success,
personal discipline, work habits, organizational skills,
classroom and rehearsal work ethic, and inter-personal
relations as related to the profession of acting performance.
As academic success is an indicator of industry success, this
measure also includes elements of scholastic achievement
including gpa, receipt of scholarships, and the engagement of
other measurable scholarly activities
Supporting Materials/Personal Marketing Strength and FP
Development: Includes all elements of personal/professional
marketing tools including health and appearance as related to
personal career goals; business acumen, headshots, resumes,
cover letters, industry research, professional outreach, and
personal website development. Also includes a concerted
efort toward awareness of current and developing industry
market trends.
Scholarship Strength and Development: Includes all EP
elements of scholastic measure including major gpa,
cumulative gpa, receipt of scholarships, and of other
measurable scholarly activities.

V. Please obtain our current gpas and list below:

Major GPA 3.90

Cumulative 3.93
GPA
 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

VI. Attach to this sheet a typed, proofread, and coherent self-

evaluation of your work this year/since your last assessment. Use
the following questions:
1. What are your goals beyond Missouri State University?
2. Did you set immediate goals for this closing year? What were they?
3. Did you achieve those goals? Why? Why not? How?
4. Noting the measurable areas above, what are your strengths?
5. Noting the measurable areas above, what are your weaknesses?
6. How are you addressing these challenges?
7. What goals have you set for next year?

VII. Please follow the guidelines outline in the BFA Acting Handbook
and submit 1 copy of your required assessment materials and this
self-evaluation form to the Acting Area Coordinator by the required
due date.

Signature _____________________________________________Date
____________________

Acting Self-Evaluation

1. What are your goals beyond Missouri State University? My primary goal beyond Missouri

State University is to be a professional, working actor. Acting is my passion; I honestly feel like I

need it to survive and if I dont do it I will not be happy. So, no matter what I have to do, I will

make it happen for me and I will never stop working until I can do that. I hope to live in New

York once I graduate, I am primarily interested in the theatre scene and I love the city. Im also

interested in childrens theatre and would like to consider that a possible path for me, not long

term, but I think maybe in between school years. I love working with children and teaching, I
 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

grew up in an amazing childrens theatre program and in the later years of high school I started

teaching at their summer camps. It was there that I realized how much I like sharing the magic of

theatre with other people. Sometimes in class when I like an exercise I think to myself maybe I

want to be an acting teacher. Ive written down exercises and projects that we do and it makes

me excited to think about teaching them to other people. But those all take back seat to my main

goal of being an actor and performer. Being able to do what I love for my career is the best thing

I can imagine and is what pulls me through when Im depressed. However, there are times when

I wonder if I can handle this career and if Im even good enough to do it.

2. Did you set immediate goals for this closing year? What were they? To be honest, I didnt

set goals. Ive never been someone who writes down goals for myself unless I am inclined to do

so because of a class or a mentor. But since this is a question on this assessment, next year I will

be sure to set goals. I guess an all-encompassing goal for me is to always do my best. I never

want to leave a performance or class feeling like I could have done more, or the performance I

gave was not up to my own standards.

This isnt for acting, but in dance class I told myself that I wasnt going to care what other people

thought of me and I would stand in the front and always volunteer to go first, not caring if I was

incorrect. This was a way for myself to boost confidence and take risks because I knew if I just

hid in the back I would never get better. In Acting II I am pleased to say I am getting better about

jumping up and working in class because I know I wont get better if I just hide in the audience.

Another goal that I guess I never even thought of until just now was pursuing all opportunities

that I came across.

3. Did you achieve those goals? Why? Why not? How? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Always being pleased with myself and my acting is a rather difficult goal to achieve consistently.
 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

First semester I never felt good about my acting performances in class. I always left feeling like I

should have done better, or could have done better. This semester, Im doing better about that.

Im starting to trust myself and my skills more. Another goal I have is to always try and leave

auditions feeling like I did my absolute best, and I have felt that way about every audition second

semester. Except the one I did for departmental scholarships, I felt disappointed after that one.

Someone once told me the best thing you can do with an audition is do your best and then forget

about it. I think Ive done well with that. Im trying to be better about jumping up and

volunteering in acting class, but my self-doubt is still holding me back. I know I shouldnt let it

but I cant help it.

In terms of pursuing all opportunities, I have been fairly successful at that goal. I have gone out

for almost every audition at school outside of the program that I can (Short films, senior

projects). Even when Im not cast I still feel accomplished and happy that I tried, and normally

that is enough for me.

4. Noting the measurable areas above, what are your strengths?

I think I have strength in my acting skills. Sometimes I dont think anyone else sees that, but I

think I do. I feel very open and available when Im onstage and I am willing to let myself be

vulnerable and go to dark places, that isnt a problem for me. Something I like about acting II is

the Stanislavsky method because it is so specific, and I like writing out deep character analysis

because it makes me feel more safe in my character onstage. I am getting kind of tired of playing

meek teenagers though, I dont want people to think that all I can do is be a shy teenage boy. But

I guess I also put myself in that position because it feels safe to me. I need to be better about risk

taking, in my latest scene Ive been working on, Ive tried to take a lot more risks and theyve
 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

paid off a lot. I feel more in the scene when I step outside my comfort zone or my preconceived

ideas of how something should happen.

Gosh, writing this just makes me feel like I have no strengths. I think Im getting better at

singing. I am able to sing songs that last semester were essentially unattainable. I gave myself

Fair Progress on some of the categories on the rubric because I think I was already pretty good at

them when I came into the program so I havent seen a ton of development.

5. Noting the measurable areas above, what are your weaknesses? I think one of my biggest

weaknesses is my self-doubt. When I think of all the areas I could improve in, most of my

shortcomings seem to stem from self-doubt. It holds me back a lot, especially when it comes to

working in class. Last semester was tough for me. I struggled with self-doubt and self-

confidence, every day I was constantly doubting myself and thinking I was horrible. I would sit

in Acting I and do nothing but compare myself to other classmates, I was petrified to get up and

perform for the class for fear of being dismissed as bad. I dreaded going to class, I dreaded

rehearsing outside of class, and I dreaded acting. This was very difficult for me because I

honestly believe that performing in theatre is my purpose, it is what I was put on this earth to do

and it was very scary for me when I was afraid of it. I lost my passion for acting and I felt so lost

and upset because if I dont have acting, I dont have anything.

Another weakness I have is sometimes I feel lost and like I dont know what Im doing and that

Im not good enough to pursue this career. The day of the midterm, we did an exercise with

Hannah where we shared our deepest fears and mine is not being good enough to do what I love

and need to survive. I guess thats not a weakness, more of just a worry, but I think about it a lot

and it makes me afraid because theatre is the only thing I have and I would be very sad if I

learned I didnt have the capability to follow my passion for it.

 Neil Cathro, Acting Assessment

6. How are you addressing these challenges? Im still struggling with these feelings of

inadequacy and self-doubt, but I think Im getting better. Im starting to find my passion again

and I can see myself growing more confident in myself. In Acting II I have gotten better about

volunteering to workshop, I have gained confidence in myself to be able to have other people

watch me and me not think the whole time about whether they think Im doing well or not. Ive

tried to switch my mindset to strictly about me. One of the first things Heather told us at the

beginning of the year is everyone has their own path and everyones path is different. I still

compare myself a lot to other people but compared to last semester it is unbelievable how much

better I am about this. Obviously, I still have a long way to go in terms of my performance skill,

but honestly I am so happy to be able to say with confidence that I am starting to believe in

myself again, little by little.

7. What goals have you set for next year? Next year I want to continue to follow every

opportunity that is presented to me. I want to stop caring what everyone else thinks about me and

start living for myself, as hard as that may be. Ill probably never be able to do that completely

but I am sure as heck going to try. I want to continue to challenge myself with scenes and songs

in my classes and add to my rep.

Above all else, I just want to find my self-confidence and believe in myself.