Ishitta Joy

Live Theatre Matters

In a recent college study, researchers found that culturally enriching field trips matter, and exposure to live theatre can have extremely beneficial results for young Americans. The exposure to a production can produce significant benefits for students on many different types of educational outcomes that schools and communities consider.  The research showed that seeing a live play could demonstrate an effective way to teach academic content while increasing student tolerance and providing exposure to a more diverse world.  It has proven to help students adhere and recognize what other people are thinking or feeling. In a sense, it helps students read and react to human behavior.

These are benefits, which are significant for students with special educational outcomes in specific areas of study. For example, legal experts, sports academics, education and psychology are fields of study that require some form of reading and interpretation of human behavior. It has always been known but now it has been put to study and research that not all education works within the walls of a school building. Taking trips to unique locations can help provide real-world perspective and you can't put a price tag on that experience.

The research finally demonstrates that schools produce critical educational results beyond math and reading test scores. It provides a strong backdrop for researchers to measure other outcomes outside of the norm. If we are to care about what is measured, then we need to measure more than the normal results to expand the definition.

Theatre has proven to be a great way to help students expose themselves to new cultures while bonding with other classmates and creating a topic of discussion. The discussion is always a healthy way to explore possibilities.

Ishitta Joy is a method actress in theatre and a local painter. She studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Helping Children in Poverty

The United States is considered to be one of the wealthiest nations on the planet. So it is extremely hard to fathom how many children suffer annually from poverty and hunger. According to statistics, there are over 16 million children who are living in families that earn below federally established poverty levels of income. The poverty level is currently under twenty-three thousand dollars per year for a family of four. To survive and meet basic expenses, a family of four often needs to make almost twice as much. So based on those standards and numbers, 45% of children in this country are living in poverty.

If we seek a future where our children can thrive, we must start looking for ways to enable a stronger economy and job market. At the current rate, many people are forced to use welfare and social services to survive, which are cutting into federal deficits. These services are creating an immense inflation in our debt, and with each dollar lost our children suffer for the mistakes made by modern economists and politicians. The stigma that often comes with poverty is that people are lazy. The notion of laziness is a false statement, and although many services are abused, there are many hard working Americans who work two, sometimes three different jobs just to make ends meet.

Poverty can truly hurt our future, particularly because the children in impoverished families are negatively impacted, all the while disrupting their access to a good education and affecting their opportunity to become strong contributing members of society. One of the ways that nonprofits have helped is by using the internet and social media. A decade ago, organizations such as Children International became part of a Click-to-Donate program. People who visit their site can click daily to contribute to programs helping children in need.

Ishitta Joy volunteers her spare time to help children in need, as well as to provide them with unconditional love.

The Life of an Actor

Theatre can be an ever-changing and evolving art that has traditional roots and modern arts implications. For years, many A-list actors have studied and learned most of their foundational skills in theatre and performing arts. To develop a play or musical, you must dedicate yourself for months to rehearsal, promotion and development. Often plays don't even make it to the stage, which is something that can be disheartening for many actors. However, when a show takes off, it is one of the most magical things that can happen. When a play ends, many actors and directors move on to new productions, and have to go through the process all over again. Actors enjoy this process. Even if it isn't always successful and can be quite a cutthroat industry, the thrill of creating and developing usually outweighs the idea of success. Often many actors don't find the success they seek, but are rewarded with a newfound glory and discovery of working skills. Actors often find the thrill in connecting with their audience and having the ability to make them cry, laugh and cheer. All performing arts require meticulous repetition and rehearsal. Like an athlete rehearses a playbook or strategy, an actor must recite, rehearse and even have a sense of movement down to a science while staying in character. The ability to jump into fictional and non-fictional characters, and to portray them with conviction, can be the true definition of an actor or actress. Many actors rely on method acting to devote truly themselves to the character. This skill was advocated by Lee Strasberg and perfected at the Actors Studio. Ishitta Joy was a graduate of the Lee Strasberg Drama and Film Institute in 2008.

Ishitta Joy - The Legendary Lee Strasberg

In the 20th Century, Lee Strasberg was a major figure in theatre and film. He is the pioneer and curator of Method Acting, and his advocacy of the acting style has spread globally.  Before becoming a prominent theatre director, he was an actor who retired in 1929. He retired at a very young age and formed a drama organization called the Group Theatre with two additional colleagues involved.  The Group Theatre directed many plays including a Pulitzer Prize-winning play called Men in White. In 1948, he joined the Actors Studio as a teacher. He took pride in knowing that the studio provided a venue for creativity, exploration and growth for young actors and theatre professionals. The Actors Studio is where Lee Strasberg became one of the most famous directors for his unique approach to acting and teaching.

Originally actors were expected to learn their lines to the point where they could repeat them on cue as second nature. Lee wanted a complete departure from this style of acting, and worked to help actors draw on their experiences and emotions. The idea was to portray a more genuine presentation of the character they were playing while engaging real emotions. The results were immeasurable, and brought real integrity to the character on stage. In Lee's mind, the actor was creating a reality that can sometimes be a difficult technique for an actor.  For over 30 years, Lee Strasberg spent his time with the Actors Studio influencing generations upon generations of young actors and directors. Names such as Al Pacino, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean have all credited the Actors Studio and Lee Strasberg in some shape or form. Many of his pupils went on to become major stars in theatre and the big screen.  

In the 1970's Lee returned to acting and landed one of the most crucial roles of his career in The Godfather II. He received an Academy Award nomination for his performance as a crime boss rival of the Corleone Family. Before his death in 1982, he appeared in a few other films with George Burns and Al Pacino has co-stars.

Ishitta Joy spent two amazing years studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She considers it to be one of the best journeys of her life.

The Struggles of a Performing Artist

There is hardly a more fiercely competitive profession than acting. Compared to the high number of both aspiring actors and established actors, the number of quality acting positions is simply not enough. Possibly the hardest part of the entire process is the audition. These actors and actresses may believe that they are perfect for the position that they were offered, but they must first prove it against a plethora of others who believe that they are perfect for the position too.

The auditions that actors can go through can be some of the highest causes of stress in their lives. They must show all that they have in but a few moments in front of the casting crew. In the majority of cases, these potential actors have but one chance to make their dream of becoming a certain character come true. When actors and actresses receive one decline after another, they begin to understand why the industry is so harsh to those who try the hardest.

The performing artists have some of the toughest criticisms in any industry. Not only are they judged during their auditions, but critics who have spent their lives watching performance and performance are there to judge them yet again once they are on stage. This goes to show that even when a performer earns the position that worked hard to gain, they may still fall flat on their face when the critics release their criticisms on the performance.

Familiar with the struggles of performance actors, Ishitta Joy is an aspiring actress living in New York. Originally from across the pond, Joy attended the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in New York in order to gain her training in the art of acting.

Giving By Nature

There are some people who by their very nature are more giving than are others. Such people generally have kind hearts and generous, sharing natures; for them, being giving is not much different than breathing. It is just the way that they are.

For those who want to improve their generous nature, it is important to have boundaries; there must be a balance between a kind heart and a rational mind. Sometimes people who give too much experience negative feelings after they give. This might be a signal from their unconscious mind that something might be out of order.

For such people it is important to look at the process of life realistically, in terms of what they are able to change and what they need to accept. If you give but are left with the sense that you have been taken advantage of then you may end up feeling angry or sad. You may have given to a self-centered person, you could be making that person even worse; it can deepen their sense of entitlement, and be similar to giving an alcoholic a drink.

People who give, and to whom it is important to give, should ask themselves whether they are giving from a place of strength, and with boundaries firmly in place, or whether they are giving from a place of weakness, like neediness, where there are no boundaries. It is a matter of whether you are giving because it is your heart's true desire, or because you are a person with a great need to please, even if the cost is high.

Ishitta Joy is a giving person who has learned the subtleties of giving. She is an actress who lives and works in New York.

The Joy of Becoming a Citizen of the United States of America

For many citizens of the United States, one of the best memories of their lives came when they officially became a naturalized citizen. Those who achieved the status of a citizen can recall their special day as being one of the best in their memory. Becoming a citizen is not easy. In fact, many have to commit to studying for years in order to pass the test. For those naturalized citizens who grow through the trials of becoming a citizen, once they achieved the status, they are all the more appreciative of the rights that they are given.

Though many people who are born a citizen of the United States take their citizenship privileged for granted, those who are naturalized citizens appreciate it all the more. The opportunities that they are available to them are numerous compared to those that were available previously. It is no secret that the United States of American is known as the ‘Land of Opportunity’ and for naturalized citizens, many of them can see there is more opportunity than they can shake a stick at when comparing to their home country.

Those who were previously a foreign national living in the United States were unable to do much of what Americans consider common. The right to take part in the electoral process of voting is not a privilege of the foreign nationals but dedicated only to the American. Protection from deportation is also a right granted to those who are citizens of America. These are just some of the rights that a naturalized citizen is given when they finish the process.

Ishitta Joy is a native of the United Kingdom, who is proudly an American citizen. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2015, Joy became a naturalized citizen and made the United States her permanent home.

Children and Poverty

It is hard to believe it sometimes, in a country that is considered the wealthiest nation on Earth. But there are more than sixteen million children in the United States who are living in families with incomes that are below the federal poverty level of $23,550 per year for a family of four. Research has shown that an average family of four in the United States needs about twice that amount just to meet all of its basic expenses. And by that standard, some forty-five percent of children in this country are living in low income families.

It has nothing to do with laziness. Most of the children in these families have parents who work. But good jobs are becoming more and more scarce, so low wages and unstable employment are leaving many families at risk, and struggling just to put food on the table. Growing up in poverty can have a negative impact on a child's future, impeding their ability to learn and grow up to be contributing members of society. It is also related to long-term physical and mental health issues. Those who experience poverty at a young age are those who are at the greatest risk.

There are no easy answers to this problem. But one of the ways that nonprofits have found a way to help using the Internet. Children International became part of a Click-to-Donate program more than ten years ago, and Internet users can click daily to contribute to programs helping needy children.

Ishitta Joy is a caring person who wants to do what she can to help children in need, and to provide them with unconditional love.