bare feet in a drama group
Hi there,
I'm Nefeli, 19 years old girl, from Europe.
My problem is that I am very shy about my bare feet. I also have made a poll about that topic. But as everyone knows, in everyday life there are quite some occasions where you don't have the choice but have to be barefoot. One of these occasions may be a drama workshop.
Once I participated in a drama class at school. I loved it because I love acting, movies, theatre and so on. I played a girl in a play by Bertolt Brecht. I like Brecht especially, he was a real genious and had deeply humanitarian social and political views in my opinion. But when I discovered (after quite some time because we didn't wear costumes at first) that I would be in bare feet on the stage, I was shocked. I knew that most people from my school would be there to watch the play and that my whole family would also come. I tried to talk to my teacher, made up reasons why it would be better to wear at least socks like hygienic reasons but he replied that these reasons were ridiculous (after all the stage wasn't very dirty). My role was one of the 2 or 3 main roles (so it was unthinkable to just leave the group) so he told me that my outer appearance was very important.
In the end I just surrendered and removed my shoes and socks as I was told. We performed the play 3 times, so I was 3 times humiliated in front of 200-400 people. Feeling the floor under my bare feet and knowing that lots of people were watching me at that time was a strange and new feeling to me. Until now this thought seems at the same time embarrassing and a little exciting to me. The only good thing is that most people probably didn't even consciously notice the fact that I was completely barefoot.
There are theatre plays every term at our school and quite often people perform barefoot.
I also noticed that far more girls than boys are barefoot on stage. I don't know what the teachers tell the other students, so maybe they insist on girls being barefoot more often. If yes, why? Maybe it has to do with the character of female roles? Or girls tend to choose being barefoot more often if they are not explicitly told what to wear?
Now it's your turn to tell about your experiences if you have had any. Also leave a message please.
Have you ever participated in a drama group?
| 23% (88) | Yes, once | |
|---|---|---|
| 62% (229) | Yes, more than once | |
| 13% (51) | No |
368 voters have answered this question.
Girls only: have you ever been on the stage in bare feet?
| 19% (25) | Yes, once | |
|---|---|---|
| 74% (95) | Yes, more than once | |
| 5% (7) | No (stop here) |
127 voters have answered this question.
Boys only: have you ever been on the stage in bare feet?
| 27% (70) | Yes, once | |
|---|---|---|
| 56% (146) | Yes, more than once | |
| 16% (42) | No (stop here) |
258 voters have answered this question.
Girls only: Why have you been barefoot?
| 10% (13) | It was recommended for my role | |
|---|---|---|
| 3% (4) | It was recommended for every actress (only females that is) | |
| 4% (5) | It was recommended for everyone participating in the play | |
| 31% (38) | Bare feet were mandatory for my role | |
| 7% (9) | Bare feet were mandatory for every actress | |
| 15% (19) | Bare feet were mandatory for everyone participating in the play | |
| 22% (27) | I chose to be barefoot because I like the feeling and looks | |
| 4% (6) | I chose to be barefoot because it fitted my role |
121 voters have answered this question.
Boys only: Why have you been barefoot?
| 16% (36) | It was recommended for my role | |
|---|---|---|
| 6% (14) | It was recommended for every actor (only males that is) | |
| 8% (18) | It was recommended for everyone participating in the play | |
| 19% (43) | Bare feet were mandatory for my role | |
| 9% (21) | Bare feet were mandatory for every actor | |
| 21% (49) | Bare feet were mandatory for everyone participating in the play | |
| 13% (31) | I chose to be barefoot because I like the feeling and looks | |
| 5% (12) | I chose to be barefoot because it fitted my role |
224 voters have answered this question.
When did you discover that you would be in bare feet?
| 37% (109) | Right in the beginning (then why didnâÂÂt you leave?) | |
|---|---|---|
| 19% (56) | After some time | |
| 27% (81) | In the end when we started to practice in our costumes | |
| 15% (45) | On the day of the performance |
291 voters have answered this question.
How did you react?
| 5% (16) | I was shocked and wanted to leave | |
|---|---|---|
| 13% (40) | I was shocked but knew that it was too late to leave | |
| 1% (3) | I left the group with the problem to find someone new for my role | |
| 6% (18) | I tried to leave but wasnâÂÂt allowed to (by parents, the group leader etc) | |
| 25% (75) | I didnâÂÂt care | |
| 48% (141) | I liked it |
293 voters have answered this question.
If you refused to be barefoot or tried to convince your teacher, what happened?
| 36% (50) | He/she didnâÂÂt give in and made me | |
|---|---|---|
| 42% (58) | In case that bare feet were mandatory not only for you - He/she told me that everyone else was barefoot, too, so I couldnâÂÂt have a special rule | |
| 5% (8) | He/she threatened to tell my parents, the headmaster etc. | |
| 8% (12) | He/she threatened to give me a bad mark | |
| 7% (10) | He/she gave in and I was allowed to wear socks (or even shoes) |
138 voters have answered this question.
Girls only: How did you feel about being barefoot in front of so many others?
| 25% (31) | I was embarrassed during the practices and even more at the performance | |
|---|---|---|
| 59% (72) | I liked it/don't have a problem with people seeing my feet | |
| 6% (8) | I was embarrassed on stage, but not during the practice because many others were also in bare feet | |
| 8% (10) | I was so embarrassed that I never performed a theatre play again |
121 voters have answered this question.
Boys only: How did you feel about being barefoot in front of so many others?
| 17% (39) | I was embarrassed during the practices and even more at the performance | |
|---|---|---|
| 68% (151) | I liked it/don't have a problem with people seeing my feet | |
| 8% (18) | I was embarrassed on stage, but not during the practice because many others were also in bare feet | |
| 6% (14) | I was so embarrassed that I never performed a theatre play again |
222 voters have answered this question.
Surely someone took photos. Where you and your bare feet clearly visible on some of them?
| 20% (57) | On one or a few of them | |
|---|---|---|
| 55% (156) | On almost all of them because I had an important role | |
| 12% (35) | You could see them but from quite a distance and not very detailed | |
| 12% (35) | No |
283 voters have answered this question.
Where could one see the photos afterwards and how did you feel about it?
| 32% (79) | Around the school building and I was/am embarrassed about it | |
|---|---|---|
| 18% (45) | At home and I was/am embarrassed about it | |
| 16% (41) | Friends kept them and I was/am embarrassed about it | |
| 13% (33) | In a magazine or newspaper and I was/am (terribly) embarrassed about it | |
| 10% (25) | Somewhere else and I was/am embarrassed about it | |
| 47% (117) | Around the school building and I don't care about it | |
| 35% (88) | At home and I don't care about it | |
| 36% (91) | Friends kept them and I don't care about it | |
| 27% (67) | In a magazine or newspaper and I don't care about it | |
| 32% (81) | Somewhere else and I don't care about it |
246 voters have answered this question.
Girls: Are you currently preparing for a drama performance where you will be in bare feet?
| 29% (35) | Yes, because of my own choice | |
|---|---|---|
| 51% (61) | Yes, and I have to be in bare feet | |
| 19% (23) | No |
119 voters have answered this question.
Boys: Are you currently preparing for a drama performance where you will be in bare feet?
| 19% (43) | Yes, because of my own choice | |
|---|---|---|
| 36% (80) | Yes, and I have to be in bare feet | |
| 43% (96) | No |
219 voters have answered this question.
Do you think that female roles are more often performed barefoot?
| 33% (92) | Yes, because in real life women and girls are barefoot more often, so of course female roles are too. | |
|---|---|---|
| 27% (75) | Yes, because bare feet are a symbol of innocence and vulnerability which are typical female features | |
| 28% (79) | Yes, because women and girls like to be barefoot more than men, so they are barefoot on stage by their own choice | |
| 10% (28) | Yes, because females are more often forced to be barefoot (post a message why) | |
| 13% (38) | No, in my opinion male actors are barefoot more often | |
| 30% (85) | No, I think males and females are about the same concerning bare feet on stage |
276 voters have answered this question.
This poll was created on 2009-08-21 08:39:12
by Nefeli
