Our Third Submission: “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players,” (William Shakespeare). This little statement from Shakespeare explains life to me in many ways. The world is a stage for one who is willing to act. My life in theatre has been a magical experience. I have done nearly every part of it and loved every minute of it. I was a low child. I never had many friends. Seventh grade was rough. My friend had cut himself and I ratted him out. So I was secluded by him and my other friends. Then eighth grade I made friends with the new kid at school. He was not that popular either so we were good friends. Then I made the mistake of saying I did not want to be seen with him in public because I cared too much about personal appearance. I lost one of the only friends I had because of dumb words. My life in theatre began freshman year when I decided to join to join my school’s drama club to get some friends. In my school we have a fall play and a spring musical. The fall play that year had been The Diary of Anne Frank. So I was naïve and decided to audition. I did not want a big part, just a small one. The smallest part in the play was a Nazi. And the day the cast list went up I rushed to the auditorium door, where it hung. The second I looked upon the door, a feeling of despair fell on my face. Looking up and down the cast list, I saw my name was nowhere to be found. I was very disappointed; I thought my audition was at least good enough to be a Nazi if anything. I did not give up hope. It was because of not making the cast and help from my mom’s friend and brand new teacher at my school, Ms. Bamonte, to help me realize my first love of theatre. I started my life in the theatre in the light booth. The light booth is where it all began. Up in that booth is where I found my second home from home. It was hard to hear from up there. Luckily, we had a camera and television hooked up so we could hear a little better. I loved working on the light board, though I did like working on the spot lights as well. Later that year our spring musical was Beauty and the Beast and I had worked on the spotlights. That show was so much fun. Up in the light booth my new friends and I would dance along and sing, while being professional at the same time. Acting had never came to my mind as I watched my classmate perform Gaston or Be Our guest. The thought of actually acting on a stage did not occur to me until the end of May. My director/ teacher, Mrs. Gustafson, had asked me to do the lights for The Time of Your Life down at the local theatre guild. I was interested in lights so of course I said yes. Being introduced to the new lighting system I was astounded. Never had I used a system that was controlled by the push of a button. It was around the last show that I looked down on the stage and see some of my friends smiling. I realized I wanted to be down there. I wanted to be on the stage, entertaining people. I knew that this was my calling. Later that summer I had two experiences that change my life even more. In June drama club took a trip to New York City. I was the only freshman that went so I was the child of the group. We saw two fantastic shows and went on many interesting tours. We saw In the Heights, which had Corbin Bleu from High School Musical in it, and Westside Story, which was an amazing show, but that was not as interesting as the other. My favorite memory from the trip was going to the Statue of Liberty. While we were there Matt Damon was filming The Adjustment Bureau and I was glad to have that experience. The other experience was the summer drama camp. The camp was for younger kids from first to eighth grade. My skit was Beauty and the Geek. The experience with the little kids was fun and the show had turned out to be fantastic. That feeling became a reality my sophomore year. The fall play that year was Our Town. A very well written play and it was marvelously directed. I was different at my audition that year. I actual acted it out. The group I was in it was livelier and we put true emotion into it. It was amazing and I never thought I would do it. I ran up to the door the following days. On the day the list went up I was excited. You could never realize my happiness when I saw my name on the list. I was casted as Joe Crowell. He was a young paperboy who, when he grew up, died on a camping trip from a burst appendix. It was a fun part, but I had no contact with the lights during this play. The spring musical that year was Little Shop of Horrors. I never had sung in front of people before. Unlike an audition for a play, musical auditions were something I never experienced before. The audition process for a play is more general. You are paired into groups and are given a scene. You do not choose what part you want to try out or had to prepare anything. A musical audition, at my school, you go to practice sessions to prepare music. You wait outside the door and get called in. A musical audition is more personal. You are up on the stage alone with the four directors and it’s intimidating. Especially for someone like me, who has never sung in public before, it was terrifying. It was not all bad though, I was casted in the ensemble. My literal costume title was bum. I was the understudy to Mushnik, who was played by my friend Jacob. I was also the tech coordinator for the show as well. I was just in two scenes, so I ran spot light and helped with script and board. That summer was a little bit different then last summer. The drama trip to New York did not happen for no one was interested in it. I did on the other hand go on my first mission trips. One of which was for a drama mission team I was a part of. We had the drama camp again this year. The theme was super heroes and it was a fun skit. I was actually in this one for there were not enough kids in our group. It was called Superhero Idol and I played Simon Cowellman. Junior year was a fresh thing and hard thing for me. I moved out of my mother’s house. The only place I found to be home for sixteen years. I liked girls more, but being the short chubby kid it was hard to find a date. I always had my escape to the auditorium for that was my second home. The fall play that year was A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was even more prepared for auditions this year. I was putting emotion and reaction into each word I said. I even made it to call backs, which like auditions. The cast list went up on Facebook this year. It would be posted at eight o’clock that night and I just waited at my computer. The minute it went up, I was the first person to like it. I searched the list and found my name. I was Robin Starveling. He is normally the moon for what I remember reading in English class the year before, but in our version he was the wall. The cast was fantastic and so was the show. I actually did the movie for the show that year. It was also a sad show. My friend, Kaleb Beck, helped me film the show. I inspired him to get involved with theatre for he enjoyed Midsummer so much. He passed away that December from a heart defect. I dedicated the movie to him and sent his mother a DVD. I still remember him till this day. The spring musical that year was Bye Bye Birdie. I knew that going into this audition, I just wanted to be in the ensemble. Then they threw in a dance part to the audition. I did fine, but it was something new. I was casted as Mayor Johnson. My biggest part so far, the only bad part and the most fun part was the Shriner’s Ballet. It was fun to do and I learned many new dancing steps. That summer leading up to senior year was fantastic in my theatre career. I auditioned for Annie Jr. at the local theatre guild. Now working with kids is fun and all, but working several months with them is tiring. I was not a big part in the Annie, I was FDR. I rolled around in the wheelchair for fun when not on set, but I made some good friends in it. If it wasn’t for Annie I would not have met my girlfriend or gone to my first high school dance. During Annie I also got casted to play my most challenging role. I was casted into A Flea in Her Ear as Baptiste. He is an eighty year old man, who pretended to have back problems. I got real close with that cast and it was the first time we were a family. Senior year started off with a big bang for me. I had a lot to look forward too. I was coming out of my shell. I had a girlfriend, picking out a college, I was going to go to my first high school dance, and I felt happy overall. The opening drama club meeting that year I ran for club board. My friend, Sean, and I were co-treasurers and that made me even happier. The fall play was The Crucible. I actually was coaching my auditions groups and blocking them. I was casted as Francis Nurse. He was a challenge. He was the first character I played that showed real emotion. I had to feel the sorrow for my wife and force myself to cry. I used the death of my grandmother, who lived in La Vista, Nebraska, and the death of my friend. There deaths were so close to each other and fresh in my mind. Every year on the last show seniors will give a speech to the cast. I was the last person to give a speech. I never cried that hard since Kaleb died. High school may not have been the best time for me, but to me that was my escape. And they were my family. I loved every one of them in some way and I miss them all, my teacher especially for I lived near her and I have gotten to know her family. My mother baby sat her daughter and she had been in shows with me. She use to chase me around the auditorium and call me chicken. And all of them were my family. Winter was rough for me that year. I had my interview with Wesleyan in December, my girlfriend and I broke up for a mysterious reason, and I had been going through some serious break downs. I will never forget my first experience though with the Wesleyan theatre company. I was here for prairie days and an audition, but that got cancelled. Jordan Zauha gave me a tour and I was amazed. I had joined choir my senior year. I wanted to improve upon my singing. Everyone was anxious to find out what the spring musical was and I shared in the anxiousness. It was between two show Les Miserables and The Wizard of Oz. I did not care which show we did, but I was hoping for Les Miserables. It was a big shock to everyone when it was The Wizard of Oz. Since they announced the play before winter break and auditions were also before winter break, I had to prep by myself. When I went in for my audition I was ready. I wanted to be the Cowardly Lion so bad. I went in and I preferred a certain scene. When I finished the director, Mrs. Dow said, “That is a senior audition.” It made me feel so confident. I got called back for the Lion, Uncle Henry, and the Wizard. I was hoping to get any of those parts, mainly Lion for he was my favorite and the Wizard for he is a major speaking role. That night waited on my computer again to see the cast list, refreshing the page every two minutes. When the cast list appeared the person who I believed would get the Lion did. I was fortunate to be one of the duel casted Wizards of Oz. The show was special for we had a few double casted roles. I compared myself to my friend Adam, who was the other Wizard. He had been the nicer wizard, while I had been the more forceful Wizard. Something about yelling at people made me feel good, especially if it was people I knew real well. At the end of senior year the seniors write, direct, stage manage, and act out a play they create. I started out writing one scene, where four unlike kids meet and become the best of friends. Then I co-directed it alongside with my friend, Jacob. We had an hour long show, filled with inspiration, sorrow, comedy, and the Harlem Shake. I stage managed the show, and designed the lights for it as well. I had a real personal experience that may change my decision. I nearly ripped my hair out, but it was heart warming May of 2013 I came back to Wesleyan for registration and my audition. I had been practicing my monologues since I reached Nebraska. Kelsey was my NSO leader for registration and I met a lot of others who were planning to major in theatre. Jay was my advisor for registration and he gave me a great schedule. Scott gave me another tour of the theatre department. Then I practiced my monologues one last time before meeting everyone. Joan, Jack, Jay, and Henry were all there and I was nervous. It was after I was done Joan had me sit next to her and run through one of my monologues, as if it was dialogue, and it was so calming. Now, when I started college in the fall I was unprepared for auditions. I did not expect to have them so soon. I did a cold reading and I auditioned for Antigone and You Can’t Take It with You. I was expecting call backs are something before cast list, but cast lists went up right away. I did not make it in any of the shows I wanted. Jack told us in class that day to not be discouraged and hold your head high, so that is what I did. I checked my email later that day saying they missed me at practice for Anything Goes. I did not even audition for it, but I was casted as John, a Chinese convert. So up to this day I have been working hard on my homework late at nights and memorizing everything for Anything Goes. Last thing to talk about, is to rewind back to my sophomore year. Every May we have an induction ceremony for the Thespian Society. The Thespian Society is a high ranking acting society that you have to earn a certain amount of points to get in. You get points by seeing shows, acting in shows, doing crew for shows, etc. I first became a thespian my sophomore year. It is a nice ceremony that ends with us saying a pledge and blowing out a candle. We then go down and have a nice dinner. Junior year I had to help with the ceremony. I had to read a certain part of the ceremony and light one of the six candles that stand for each part of the actor. I was given speech. In this year a new award was given out that had to do with our grades and was only acknowledged to upper classmen. I received the vice president award. I earned this reward two years in a row. My senior year I won the vice president award, but I won a greater award that year. Every year we have an award ceremony for the different clubs and sports. Drama club was the only one I really cared about. I won the best thespian award, which meant I had gotten the most points out of anyone in my troupe. The theatre for me is my second home. There is a feeling when you walk into a theatre and the first thing you for is the light booth, the reaction one puts on a stage to entertain the audiences who came for a good time, writing a script, lifting heavy objects, making everything runs smoothly, or directing the action and putting your views on the stage. The stage is a place where you can leave the drama of life outside the doors. A cast is one you learn to love and become so close you never want to leave them. It is remembering the good and bad times. It is remember the people you have lost. It is overcoming your fear. It is the feeling of entertaining. That is what I have felt in troupe 2944.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 15:12:03 +0000