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For my Macbeth Creative Project, I decided to create a Playbill. I choose this option because I thought it would be interesting to create a modern version of Macbeth with actors that are popular today. I know that it has been done before, but I thought it would be fun since I get to make the casting decisions and such.

One of the main aspects of this project was the actors/actresses that would be bringing the play to life. What I did to decide, was sit down and really think about the personalities of the characters that we really got to know in the play, and see if I knew any actors/actresses with similar personalities, or who I think could do a good job taking on that personality. Some of the easiest casting decisions was Macbeth (Johnny Depp), Lady Macbeth (Helena Bonham-Carter), and Hecate (Maggie Smith) to name a few. I choose Johnny Depp to take on the role of Macbeth because I know how much of a versatile actor he is. I have also seen him act as many characters with such different personalities, for example, he was Edward Scissorhands in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). I also chose Helena Bonham Carter for the same reasons, her being a very versatile actress, and her ability to become very cruel and kind characters, for example, Bellatrix Lestrange in David Yates’ adaptations of the final three Harry Potter books made into four movies: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1&2. I also choose Maggie Smith as the head witch because of her amazing performance as Professor McGonagall in all the Harry Potter movies.

For the costume decisions, I basically just created a set of my own choices for the tops, bottoms, etc. The website I used is called Polyvore, which contains a lot of modern day clothing, with the ability to make a collage of the ones you choose, which was perfect for this project. I chose to focus on our two main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, and choose what they might wear in this production.

When deciding on the stage layout, I kept it very simple. I based on most stage/set layouts of other productions. I also incorporated what I thought was best and made the most sense.

Lastly, for the ads, I decided to base them around the actors and actresses seen the the play. I know that when I go to see a movie or a play, I always see one of the really great performers and wonder what else they have done. That is what I based my ads around. I knew that Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter were going to be acting together in an upcoming movie, so I incorporated that, and I also know that Tim Curry stars in a movie that is celebrating their fortieth anniversary this year, so I put that in as well.

There were many times in my life where I felt I didn't belong and they were in close relation to not only my identity, but the identity of the people around me. I felt like I didn't belong growing up in Serbia as a person with learning disabilities. I discovered I had dyslexia and dysgraphia when my teacher thought  that I was stupid because on my tests I finished almost none of the questions and when writing, I mixed Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, as well as printed and cursive letters. The real reason I felt like I didn't fit in is because learning disabilities are very rare in Serbia, and the tests are conducted in a mental hospital, where I later had to visit a therapist. The therapist banned me from writing in cursive to help me use only one style of writing at once. People not only saw me differently, but also treated me like there was something wrong with me, especially the teachers. The only two things that my therapist told them to do to make this process easier was to give me extensions on reading and writing assignments and to test me orally, instead of me struggling through reading and writing it. My teachers kept everything the same, until I told them “Imagine I fell down the stairs and broke both my arms, how would you test me then?” Her answer was: “Well, orally of course.” At the end I got her to test me orally and I got a 100, but I never changed her mind. I think that happened  because she was a person with a fixed mindset and not accepting a change.

I’ve come across a lot of people like my teacher over the years. They think that everyone functions the same and that kind of thinking is the reason that some people struggle with changing their view. Even if all the information is pointed against their argument , they would stubbornly stick to their own opinions. I, on the other hand, have the adapting mindset where I can change my views if I get good evidence. As an article from MindShifts states “ It is the belief that qualities can change and that we can develop our intelligence and abilities. The opposite of having a growth mindset is having a fixed mindset, which is the belief that intelligence and abilities cannot be developed. The reason that this definition of growth mindset is important is that research has shown that this specific belief leads people to take on challenges, work harder and more effectively, and persevere in the face of struggle, all of which makes people more successful learners. ”

These mindsets are not only opposites, but they are both necessary to balance out. This is a part of the way my identity was shaped, as a person with learning disabilities, since I had to change the way I looked at things and the opinions I had on learning, as well as basically anything I knew before about myself.

The lesson I learned from this experience is that our identity can change in a moment, and we would never expect that, but we have to accept the person we have become, and trust ourselves enough. By that I mean trust our brains, our bodies, our flaws, our disabilities, our reasons, and our hope.

Advanced Essay #3

Black men in our society are known for one of three things, a sports player, rapper, or a drug dealer. A black man in our society, will never live the life of a middle class or higher class white man. No matter how much money he makes, no matter what level of education he has, nor where he works, a black man in our society will never live the life of a civilized white man.

The sports player is the man who was a young black who had someone to look up to. This person that they looked up led them on a path that was positive. That person helped keep them out of the streets and made sure their focus was in books and/or on the field, court, arena etc. As the black male grew older he takes the lessons learned from his inspiration(s) and puts them to use. Due to the life lessons the young black male experienced, he has success in life. Now just because he has money and may be the franchise of a team, he is still a black male from the southern region of Philadelphia. He is still titled and labeled to where he comes from. Therefore, whites (mainly superior whites) still may seek him as dangerous and violent.

The drug dealer is the black male who grew up without a father or male figure and lived in a poor financed household. Due to the lack of income and education has, he turns to the streets to make money. Livin in the society he lives,  the access of drugs is very easy for the black male. After making his first bits of money, the black male continues to sell drugs and keeps his focus on the streets. Doing this will only lead the black male into 3 paths, dead, in jail, or stereotyped.

The rapper is very familiar to the drug dealer. The rapper is always viewed as the drug dealer who knows how to create a rhythmic tone with rhyming lyrics. Once the rapper gains money and popularity, he makes possibly the smartest decision he could have ever made which is leaving the streets and focusing on making money through music. Let’s look at Meek Mill for example. Meek Mill is a rapper (a rapper who was a drug dealer that could rhythmic tones with rhyming lyrics). Meek Mill is my cousin and he was also born and raised in the society as us. Meek grew up without a father in his life. His mom (my aunt) was always out boosting (stealing items and reselling them) to provide food and a place to sleep for Meek and my cousin Nasheema (his sister). When Meek became around my age (16-17) he turned to the streets to make money. Eventually, that caused him to be arrested and place in prison. Today, Meek is internationally famous rapper but, he still is a black man from Southern Philadelphia. Meek has been on probation for his arrest for 5 years now. In February, he will be sentenced to prison for violating that parole because of traveling without permission from the Philadelphia’s district attorney. Meek traveled to perform at an awards show. The district attorney said that she feels like Meek and “dangerous” and “irresponsible” at times and she feared letting him go to the awards show. Meek is a millionaire and he gives the DA (district attorney) no reason to fear him traveling to make money and provide for his family. What she fears is a black man being from our society being the setting and presence of “precious” white people.

No matter how hard he tries, a black man in my society will never be the same as a white man. He will forever be identified negatively because he comes from a negative place. It doesn’t even matter if he never did anything bad, he will forever identified negatively.