Student Comments - (Unedited -All comments included)
Complete SIRS available upon request. (66 pages) Including a 2016 exit poll completed by seniors at the bottom of the page.
SIRS - Significant quotes and repeated sentiments regarding teaching style :
I love Mark's energy and passion that shows through when he's teaching, he makes you feel like he really cares about making you a better actor and helping you build your future.
Mark is always open, relatable, and genuinely cares about his students.
Mark Colson is engaged and excited to share his skills and teach us to be better actors. One of the best acting classes I've ever had.
He had a superb interest and dedication to EVERY student and understood their strengths and weaknesses in order to push them into improving their craft
Mark is an absolutely incredible teacher and has taught me so much about film acting and acting in general
This has been the most challenging and rewarding course in the program
The instructor of this course was very intentional about the assignments and methods he used to produce intended outcomes
SIRS COMMENTS 2014 - 2017
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 801 001 (FS17) Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
best acting class, I've had in graduate school.
Fantastic class. Challenging. Worth the experimentation. Our cohort became an ensemble. Mark is responsible for empowering the class and holding us accountable to tell the truth. To be honest. And supportive. He reads the energy of our group and adapts -- always searching for a new way to achieve his teaching objectives. When others might give up, Mark keeps pushing further. He cares. He's invested. Everyone knows he's got skin in the game. That is what a great teacher does. Motivate and inspire through action.
I grew tremendously as an actor as a result of taking this course. I have some concrete tools that I can apply to character development in the future. I am incredibly thankful, I had the opportunity to take this course before preparing for my thesis acting role next semester.
I immensely enjoyed and grew from this course, gaining more clarity and proficiency in my area of study. This instructor works especially hard to convey all of is ideas and concepts in ways that all types of learners can comprehend,
Loved the focus on projects for longer periods of time Great notes throughout Willing to try new things for students to make discoveries
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 201 001 (FS17) Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
Amazing instructor with real world experience. Adaptive and very flexible. The class clearly outline what i needed to develop on. Extremely constructive and safe environment.
As always, Mark Colson did an amazing job at improving my acting abilities, and I feel so much more confident in my abilities now. Marks classes prepare me for the real work more than any other, and I feel much more prepared for my post-graduation life.
Easily my favorite class I've taken at MSU thus far!
I have never thought about film until this class and I feel that it has made me a better actor
I really enjoyed and I think learned so much from Acting II with Mark this semester. I love his teaching style and I think it had a strong impact on me as a person and actor. He taught me skills that I will continue to carry with me throughout my career as an actor and I think his personal experiences were extremely helpful to hear about. I love Mark's energy and passion that shows through when he's teaching, he makes you feel like he really cares about making you a better actor and helping you build your future.
Mark has helped me grow so much as an actress. One of my main problems in acting one was acting passed my partner. Mark taught me how to make big acting choices in a cinematic way. This course gave me countless new tools to use when doing character work that really help me embody the character. What I learned overall form this course though is that I am enough. Me. I don't need to get in my head about how a character should be, but I can start with how I would be in those given circumstances and work from there. I also learned something I wish I had learned a long time ago: do not judge your characters. Mark helped me learn to get out of my head, something that has always been tricky for me.
Mark helped me grow as an actor. He is one of the reasons I came to this program. His professional experience in the film industry made him a great mentor for me. I hope to work with him more in the future.
Mark is honestly the Godfather of the theater department- the only professional actor here that maintains work, and breaks down acting in the most simple form. He works with the individual actor and pushes each of us to become better. He also contributed lots of advice that could not only be applied to our acting but real life. He's wise and knows the hard work it takes to succeed within this business. He is truly one of the theatre departments rare gems.
Mark is incredibly passionate about what he does and wants to transfer his knowledge the most out of any professor in the department.
Mark was awesome, I truly enjoyed the class and learned a lot. I feel like I have a better understanding of how to tap into my emotions and understand my characters. Being in the class has also allowed me to have more experiences other than just perform in class. He knows the industry and has personal experience with it which is really helpful for us who are learning and wanting so badly to get into the business.
Mark's great! I learned so much and really felt as though I became a better actor.
The instructor was willing to make a lot of time outside of class to help students with their work.
This course taught me more than any acting class I've ever taken, and Mark Colson taught me more than any director or acting teacher I've ever had. He was able to facilitate a class of hard working, committed actors who helped each other grow with no judgement and always felt comfortable taking risks. I grew as an actor in tangible ways through this course by slowly getting out of my head, taking more risks, letting go and connecting with my scene partner and myself in my character. Because of the outside reading and discussions and exercises we did, I feel far more confident that I can do the work necessary to fully become a character, and I will continue to use these techniques in the future. Mark Colson has an unfailing commitment to every student he works with, and a passion for his craft that is grounding and inspiring and comes through in every class. I am a better actor for working with him, and this department is beyond lucky to have someone so real, forward thinking, active, and caring training its' actors.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 404 002 (FS17) Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
Amazing teacher
An amazing and challenging class by a highly qualified professor. An essential class for any theater major.
Colson is great.
Mark is an excellent teacher and MSU is lucky to have him. He is so knowledgable on film and has had so much experience in the actual film industry itself which other professors have not.
This was my favorite class and most challenging of the semester -- quite possibly of my entire tenure at MSU. Developing my own content, writing, directing, filming. The practical hands-on experience and the professional touch with which Mark administers the work is fantastic. Great teacher!
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 304 002 (SS17)
· Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· By far the most valuable acting class for self evaluation and general improvement in creating emotion. Mark is an amazing professor and very valuable assessment to the department and I will always cherish the acting skills he has given me in this class. Here's hoping that the film aspect of this department continues to grow.
· Cares about students' success, really important to department bc he is the only professor who teaches film acting, sets aside extra time to help students, gives great feedback/critique, learned so much and improved a lot through this class
· I loved having Mark as a professor. He was my first acting professor at MSU and I continue to take classes with him because he has taught me so much about the craft, he really pushed me to do my best and he doesn't let me off the hook in terms of my work. I respect him so much as a person and teacher. He genuinely cares for the students, always offering help in any way that he cane. i loved 304, Mark made the class worthwhile and I learned so much about myself as a performer.
· I owe a lot to Mark. Coming from only a stage background, I have garnered more film experience than I ever thought I would have during undergrad, and that has helped build my confidence in my versatility and marketability when I am a professional actor.
· Mark Colson is a phenomenal teacher and MSU is lucky to have him. His experience level is beyond what is excoected for this class. Working in LA as a professional actor has given him so many skill sets that he then transfers and shares with us in his classes. No one else could teach these classes like Mark does because he has experiences no one else in this department has. You can't teach actors about being professional actors unless you've experienced it and experienced success with it as well. Anyone teaching this class other than Mark Colson would be a diservice to students. Mark is the most caring, knowledgeable, and honest professor I have encountered in my time here at MSU. Mark has made a HUGE impact on this department and has brought up the caliber of this department immensely. It was such an honor and a privilege to work under him and take his class. Mark cares about his students and wants them to succeed, which is really rare to find in many professors here.
· Mark is a great professor with a lot of experience in his field!!
· Mark is my favorite faculty member in the department, as he has a fantastic resume and a wealth of personal know-how coupled with a great attitude. I have never left the class without knowing something new about my own performance and skill set, while simultaneously having something else to work on and better. This class was engaging, challenging, and i learned a great deal of applicable information.
· Mark is not only a fantastic actor, but an incredible teacher. He has helped me immensely throughout this year grow as an actor and I most definitely would not be where I am in my acting career without him! He's the best!
· Only class where I can get solid film acting experience. Mark is the only teacher that teaches solid film work. He has expressed deep care for my concerns and he pushes me to always do better. He has worked with me more thoroughly than I could ever expect out of a professor and I am deeply thankful to him. Mark is really a teacher that cares about his students, and I couldn't have a greater appreciation for it.
· Overall, this is a great class and Mark does a superb job teaching it. However, I wish we had more camera time. It seemed as though some projects were held out too long. A challenge for the students would be a quicker turnaround with scenes and filming to 1) get used to working fast and 2) getting more camera time for the experience. Thank you!
· This class was instrumental for my growth as an actor. In acting, an actor can know all there is to "know" about their character, the process of acting, different techniques, dialects etc., but sometimes there can be a small hang up that stops them from making any real growth. For me, this class, and Mark Colson, will be a point and person in time that I will look back on and say, "That is where I really figured myself out as an actor." There have been a couple other moments like this in college, my first acting class, and the master class with Steve to name a few, but this course is personal to me and stands out because it wasn't about really learning something I didn't know how to do before, or making something I did know how to do easier, in this class I was able to look at myself as an actor and look at my work and truly see what was holding me back, and begin to fix it. No other class has been able to do this for me in my time at MSU, they have been able to teach me how to do what I want to do professionally and better, the techniques I need to find success in this industry and different avenues to pursue post graduation. But 304 with Mark taught me about being critical of my work in a way that isn't just self-deprecating, and how to fix my acting so I can always be improving. At the beginning of the class we had a monologue assignment where we wrote and performed our own monologues. For some reason I wasn't seeing myself in the part that I had written, the given circumstances, the emotion whatever it was I wasn't hitting it right. Mark saw that and in the filming room led me and the TA through an exercise to help me get out of my own way, and land myself more into the character, to relax and have fun. The result was a better take than the take prior but still nothing noteworthy. Except for the fact that I now had a method that worked for me to help me get out of my body, out of my own way, out of any preconceived notions or choices I had made about any character, and to see aspects of myself in the characters I was playing. For a young actor this is a very earth shattering moment. My work prior to this moment was predominantly character driven, I was always playing these outrageous characters so far removed from myself that acting for me was putting on a character for a performance and then taking them off as I left the stage. But now I am able to see where I align with this person, or thing, I am trying to portray. How we are similar and how we are different, and get into the character in a new and much more honest way. This would be enough for me to say this was one of the most influential classes I've ever taken, but I also learned that I need to physically move around and get out of myself before performing so I can physically be the character and get out of my own way as an actor. All in all this one moment of this class changed my whole approach to this craft and I am so thankful for it. It would never have been possible without Mark and I owe him much of any success I am lucky enough to find in the future. I only wish this moment of realization would have come years ago so it could have affected my work in college more.
· This was one of my favorite classes I have taken so far at MSU. Mark Colson did an amazing job of teaching us practical and useful skills that we will need in the future. Out of all of the theatre classes I have taken so far, I thought this one did the most to improve my actual acting. Mark not only genuinely cared about us as people, but also as actors and really challenged us to grow and become better actors.
·
RESPONDERS’ COMMENTS FOR THR304 002 (SS18)
Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
Mark Colson is my absolute favorite professor. I want to be a film actor, and this class has been the most useful class I’ve taken in my degree program. He is knowledgeable, caring, and very helpful, and I am very happy I was able to take this class.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 201 001 (FS16)
· Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· -Great class, learned a lot, thank you
· Fantastic foundation voice class. Learned so much and highly recommend it.
· Great class Mark. Thank you.
· I Enjoyed the course and felt it strengthen and broadened me as an actor.
· I learned many new things that have helped be to become a better actor and there were many moments when the 'Ah-ha' moment happened. This class was fun and enjoyable.
· I really fully enjoyed the class,and Mark Colson is an amazing professor. My only critique; I wish we played less Theater games in class and used that time to do more scene work.
· I thought this class really furthered my acting skills. I personally had challenges that I had to face as an actor, and this class really helped with that
· This class was a fantastic edition to my semester, I learned a great deal about my acting abilities and, most important;y, that I can always continue to push myself. Mark made this class awesome and I cannot wait to work with him more in future courses.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 204 001 (FS16)
o Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· Coming into this class as a non-actor from a film training background, I wasn't sure what I could expect from this class. Mark Colson is a wonderful professor, and it is to my belief that everybody from Comm Arts of Film should take a theatre class just as every actor interested in film dabbles in camera work and script writing. This was one of my more enjoyable classes.
· Great class Mark. Thank you.
· I learned so, so much from this class. The instructor was supper supportive and encouraging, and the coursework was simultaneously challenging and super fun. The class was very involved and excited to participate, and I definitely looked forward to class everyday. This class is by far the most important course I have taken at MSU so far.
· Mark is a great professor, I am not a THR student but took this course as an elective, I really really enjoyed his class and learned a lot about acting for the camera.
· Mark was a great and funny teacher. The homework he gave was often very fun and his class really helped with learning new experiences
· This was one of my favorite classes this semester, I had a great time learning how to be natural in front of the camera and how to channel my acting to fit this new media. Mark is a fantastic teacher who is straight forward and gives great insight about the business and how to succeed in it. I am ecstatic to be taking 304 next semester and continue this training with him.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 801 001 (FS16)
o Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· Mark Colson is an amazing teacher. The Department of Theatre is lucky to have him on board.
· Mark is passionate about our growth. Colson is relentless at bringing out the beast and has great language and report with our class. Simply put, he cuts to the chase on our retreat into safe choices. He inspires his students to test boundaries and commit. He empowers us to create our own content, develop our own aesthetic, and build a path to a future outside of the Michigan State University walls. This essential component makes for a unique (Superior) learning experience. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with him and wish to do so again.
· The instructor of this course was very intentional about the assignments and methods he used to produce intended outcomes. His method of giving notes provided a good model for my own personal future note-giving. He was direct but sensitive to us as artists. Since he is still working in the field, I believe that may also play a role in his compassion towards artists. He spoke from personal experience which lended to his credibility.The assignments were challenging and stimulating. This professors course was exactly what I needed in this phase of my journey as actor, artist and instructor.
· This has been the most challenging and rewarding course in the program and I am sad that we only are required to have one course with Mark. I feel it would be a benefit to have him at LEAST twice within our course of study. I appreciate that Mark understands we are all on different paths in this program and that we are all humans. He was flexible when it came to deadlines, not because of student laziness, but because he wanted to ensure that students had the opportunity to apply feedback and grow through every step of the process. If I could offer one thing, it would be to connect the pitch presentation to reading the books. Break up the groups earlier and have them develop pitch stuff as they read- log lines, location lists, etc. I think that not giving a rubric is great, but by working with the books, students are active in their story creation throughout the semester and they have material prepared, so if they want to use it in the presentation they can.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR IAH 241E 701 (US16)
o Question 26: If you would nominate your course faculty or graduate teaching instructor for a teaching excellence award, please explain why.
· Amazing professor.
· He made the class exciting and opened up creative abilities in me I didn't know I had. I really enjoyed myself!
· This was, by far, one of the most beneficial courses I've taken at MSU. It gave me a specific view with a hands on approach at the artistic process and I have grown immensely. The subject material was handled perfectly by Mark Colson. Without his help and dedication, I don't know if I would have had the same experience and education. Mark Colson put an emphasis on creating your own content and I am extremely grateful for that opportunity. Mark Colson also helped me fine tune my critical abilities in both other people's work and my own.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 390 701 (US16)
o Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· Great experience.
· GREAT time and course, Mark was the best professor we could have asked for on this trip. He handled everything excellently and made sure we were always focusing on making our own work and the work of our classmates better.
· I feel like this course prepared me so much for the future, and I have learned so much about the craft and the business. Mark is a phenomenal teacher and I am so glad I got the opportunity to work and learn from him.
· I learned so much and improved a lot.
· It was one the best experiences of my life! This helped me decide where I want to live after graduation, I loved it!
· Mark is an absolutely incredible teacher and has taught me so much about film acting and acting in general, and has brought out sides in me I never thought I had. And now, film acting is a huge interest and possibility for me down the line, and about a year ago before having him I wouldn't have said the same. He's awesome!!!
· This was potentially the most beneficial class I have taken at MSU. Not only did I learn about myself as an actor but I can't necessary skills and knowledge about the business and how to properly critique other work as well as my own. Mark Colson could not have been a better professor in this class. He had a superb interest and dedication to EVERY student and understood their strengths and weaknesses in order to push them into improving their craft and never resting on what they already knew. The class really pushed me and I am very thankful for both this course and for Mark Colson.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 481 701 (US16)
o Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· Amazing, I would recommend this program to anyone planning to go into the entertainment business!
· Great experience
· I had so much fun and learned so much, mark is an amazing professor.
· Learned a ton of great skills and had a lot of fun memories. Thank you.
· Loved it!
· This experience was great. It honestly helped cement my desire to move out to Los Angeles and I learned a lot about what heading into the industry would be like. Would definitely recommend it for other students to take in the future!
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 101 001 (SS16)
· Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· I grew as an artist and as a person.
· I have learned so much in this course. I really feel like I have grown in my abilities. I am so happy to have been a part of this class.
· I learned so much in this class. Favorite class and prof that I've had
· I loved this class so much! I learned so much, and the atmosphere was always positive and conducive to learning! Also, Mark is the best prof.
· I really enjoyed the class
· It was a very fun class, but the work was very light. I think there could have been more scenes and actual time spent acting.
· Mark was a great teacher, especially for a non-actor. as a designer i was terrified of this class but he actually made it very enjoyable.
· Really enjoyed the class, made me want to become an actor
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 204 001 (SS16)
o Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· absolutely LOVED this class. I learned a lot about myself as an actor. mark colson gives us great insight to the industry and this was an amazing introductory basis for media acting.
· Amazing class! Thoroughly helpful and a wonderful learning experience! Would highly recommend!
· Constructive.
· Favorite class this year. Learned a ton. A impressed with the work. Mark Colson is fantastic.
· Good
· I appreciate his advice and experience with actually working in the field.
· Mark Colson is engaged and excited to share his skills and teach us to be better actors. One of the best acting classes I've ever had.
· Mark is a good professor, but this class was not organized well at all. On filming days, I was generally in class for about 15 minutes, and we filmed a decent amount of the time. I missed a lot of class because he had nothing else for us to do. Could have been organized better in that sense.
· Mark was very knowledgable about acting for the camera and he was able to give us real life examples from his own career to explain different topics we were covering. He cared and challenged us to push ourselves not only to better our own acting but to raise the bar for the department as a whole. He really cares for the growth and development of the Theatre and acting programs here at MSU. I look forward to learning from him again next year.
· Mark's class was amazing and extremely helpful for the real world.
· Really enjoyed working with Mark. He was always friendly and willing to give feedback and offer help, and to challenge my acting. Very beneficial.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 404 001 (SS16)
o Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· Absolutely loved this class.
· I really feel that I grew as an actor and as a creator of my own work. This class allowed me to stretch myself in several ways, all within a safe environment. I am so glad I took this class, and I think I want to continue to create and share my own work. It's really powerful having the ability to create and share your passions and thoughts. Thank you so much, Mark. This was a great class for me and a great semester.
· This class was wicked awesome. I learned and grew a lot in my abilities as a filmmaker and actor. I can't express enough enjoyment due to this class and Colson. I wish I knew of a way to grow more as an actor at MSU as I generally feel like a middle school drama teacher auditioning for a Hollywood picture.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 201 001 (FS15)
· Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· Absolutely loved this class. It really helped me grow as an actor and I learned so much in just one semester
· Best class ever!
· Good Job Mark!
· Great course, but would've liked more time with final scenes as these were scenes I think we were all more passionate about but only had about a week or so to work on. I would've loved to have gotten more time to explore my process and explore the depths of my character more to create an honest performance. I felt rather rushed and I don't feel confident in what I have to present for my final. I also wish that we had worked more with meisner and actually tried his process aka watching his filmed lectures with real life acting students and attempting the exercises in small groups and as a whole with the class. I found meisner to be something that works for me but I didn't get the time and guided direction I needed to understand his process to incorporate it into my own. I also wish that new scenes had been given rather than ones used in previous years.
· I appreciate rehearsing our projects in class. This class has been the first thr class I've taken this far that allows that!
· I found it difficult to get as much out of this course as I would have liked because of the large class size and the necessary amount of attention required for each individual student.
· I really enjoyed this class not only did I feel like I improved a lot but I was able to see a great improvement in my peers also. It was amazing because the class was fun we loved the work and watching each other and also the days that we got to play improve games.
· I was skeptical about the syllabus only containing 3 scenes to work on throughout the semester. However, it turns out that that was extremely beneficial and the way we went about working on these scenes really gave an opportunity for everyone to learn a lot.
· It definitely challenged me to do more in trusting my instincts.
· Mark is a fantastic professor. He is really attentive to student's needs, and is really brilliant when it comes to helping push a scene in the right direction. My only complaint is that I believe we spent a little too long on the first two scenes, and we could have fit in one more scene in, to really test our boundaries. However I thoroughly enjoyed the class and hope I can work with Mark again soon.
· none
· This was an incredible course and I learned so much through Mark's feedback, experience, and his general knowledge of the craft. Mark is always open, relatable, and genuinely cares about his students.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 304 001 (FS15)
o Question 26: Please write a comment about your learning experience in this course.
· Acting for the Camera was my favorite class this semester. I was able to learn so much about myself as an actor on and off camera thanks to Mark and his help. I loved the range of work we did with different assignments and I look forward to taking part in more film thanks to this class.
· Fun and challenging; maybe incorporate some of the warmup techniques used in acting for each class.
· Having Mark as a professor has been a privilege. He has my full respect, and I thought it was great for him to teach this course because he is able to teach this material from a professor perspective and also as a successful actor in the business. :) Pretty awesome.
· I learned a lot about better ways to act in front of the camera, as well as the business behind it. This was a really fun class, and a wonderful experience.
· This was my first experience with film, and I thought it did a very nice job with introducing me to, as well as allowing me to gain experience, in all of the different aspects of the film industry in regards to acting. Even though the green screen scenes and directing class scenes didn't work out for reasons out of Mark's control, they were still extremely valuable experiences to have. Also, great opportunity for scene study as Mark did a great job with assigning the students characters that would challenge them and allow for interesting and creative development. Mark genuinely cares about improving his student's skills, and opening up a dialogue with them.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 101 102 (US15)
· Question 26: Do you have any comments or suggestions for organizing the course?
· I absolutely loved this class. I recommend making it mandatory.
· none
· This being a summer class it got really condensed. I think if this becomes a summer class again it'll be easier to teach next time due to experience
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 101 001 (SS15)
· Question 26: Do you have any comments or suggestions for organizing the course?
· I was not sure how this class would turn out due to my inexperience in this area, however Mark brought me out of my shell and helped me relax into an environment completely new to me. I would enjoy further taking classes with Mark on this subject if it was my main point of focus.
· Mark was a wonderful instructor. I really enjoyed his direction and constructive criticism towards my acting. I have improved because of him.
· no
· No.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 201 001 (FS14)
· Question 26: Do you have any comments or suggestions for organizing the course?
· Mark Colson is an amazing acting professor. This class has greatly improved my acting skills and I feel has taught me so much about myself and my future within the department of theatre.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 204 001 (FS14)
o Question 26: Do you have any comments or suggestions for organizing the course?
· It would be helpful to not spend so much time on the collaboration project with the directing class. All of the discussion afterward was a waste of time.
· No. Mark is awesome.
· None I loved thee class!
· This class was a perfect mix of fun and hard work. I think the range of scenes that everyone in the class performed exposed all of us to work that we would not necessarily have picked for ourselves. It definitely stretched us as actors. I loved that we got to work with so many different people in the class as we switched scenes. It was nice to see how others work and what kinds of connections can be made between different partners. Thanks for another great class, Mark. I'm so glad you offered me the opportunity to take this course again with you and the other BFA acting majors. Thank you.
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 290 013 (FS14)
o Question 26: Do you have any comments or suggestions for organizing the course?
· I felt that the last scene for this class was very rushed. Because of the collaboration with the design class, our schedule was thrown off, and I understand that. I really appreciated Mark taking the time to offered time outside of class to work on our final scenes, though. That was very helpful and generous of him. I greatly enjoyed this class and have learned so much. Not only have I learned about acting for the camera but also about the film industry and the business side that accompanies being an actor in LA or any film market. Mark's experience and knowledge was very helpful, and I appreciate him sharing his experience with us. Mark is very fair in his grading of scenes and critiques of them. I think some students, like myself, could benefit from getting more picky critiques of scenes so that we can really push ourselves. I would also love to have done a role of my choosing that is completely against what my "type" would be. I think it would be fun as well as a great chance to push myself as an actor. Great class. Thank you so much, Mark!
RESPONDERS' COMMENTS FOR THR 490 013 (FS14)
o Question 26: Do you have any comments or suggestions for organizing the course?
· Mark Colson is awesome.
MSU DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE EXIT SURVEY COMPLETED BY SENIORS (A selection of quotes attributed to Mark Colson)
Acting Comment:
“My love of acting has boomed since taking classes with Rob and Mark. Mostly Mark because I had him the most and formed a great relationship with him! He’s amazing!!!”
Study Away Comment:
“LA Away was incredible and I am so glad I took the trip. Mark bent over backward to fill the trip up with as much as we could do and as many people as we could meet. The trip was so important for anyone who has ever considered moving to LA.”
Film/Video Project Comments:
“Mark is a wonderful professor.”
“More film courses, please!!! And maybe additional film instructors to take some pressure off Mark.”
Suggestion Comments:
“…After Acting II, which was the greatest class by the way, I rarely did scene work in classes.” *Acting II taught by M.Colson
“My favorite classes were Acting II (Mark)….”
“More acting for the camera!!! I felt after this class it left me wanting more and desiring to learn more! Everything I wanted in a class.” *All on-camera classes taught by M.Colson