A Drama Reminisce

As the high school's performance of "High School Musical" approaches and I watch Afton prepare for her part as Kelsi the composer, I become more and more nostalgic. I truly miss being in the high school plays. I miss everything about them. I miss the stress and pressure of the auditions, the anxiety as you first read the cast list and find out your part, the first read through, the practicing long hours after school, learning the songs, memorizing your lines, remembering your cues, missing your entrances, getting chewed out by Ms. Porter for texting backstage, the silly warm-ups that Ms. O/Amy taught us, wearing your costume for the first time, the first tech-rehearsal, the first orchestra rehearsal, Ms. Porter and Amy pulling their hair out during the first tech and orchestra rehearsals, dress rehearsals, "nakey time!", the excessive makeup, cast gatherings before each performance, the applause, the singing and dancing for a live audience, flubbing up, the bowing, and then sprinting around backstage to the front doors so everybody can tell you what a fabulous job you did XD.

5th Grade

My first ever play was in 5th grade. I don't remember what it what called. But it was literally a full blown play, not a silly little skit. But we had no stage, no lights, no fancy costumes or makeup; just our scripts, a few props, and our elementary acting skills. I was one of the main characters, Bebe. If I remember correctly, the play was about three kids who, on the 4th of July, got stuck back in time during the Revolutionary War time. I don't remember really what happened, it was sort of an educational play (which is why we were doing it). I was the only person to go off-book for the entire play. And I was a main character. This was when I discovered my appreciation for drama-like areas. (However, I eventually leaned more into the video-making department, but that's for another post.) I know my mom came and took pictures, but I can't seem to find them anywhere. I do remember my costume though: blue and white tennis shoes, blue jean capris, and a red and white shirt that said "Top 5 Reasons Why I'm a Princess" (I don't remember the reasons). My hair was just left to itself and I had no fancy makeup.

Anything Goes

My second play was my sophomore year of high school. This is where my nostalgia really begins. My friend, Angela had been in the play "Once Upon a Mattress" during our freshman year and I thought it looked like fun to be in. So, the next year she agreed to do the play with me (because I was scared to do it by myself). However, like a week or so before auditions, she decided she wouldn't be able to balance the play amongst her already busy schedule and dropped out, leaving me torn. I would have to audition by myself and if I got a part, I would not know anybody. Now, understand, back then I was one of the shyest people you would ever meet and had terrible people skills (I have since improved, but am far from perfection).

The Audition

After changing my mind several times, I went to the audition. It was only a singing audition... and easily my worst nightmare. I went in with two other people, a boy and a girl. I sort of knew the music director, Amy Oelrich, but not really. She taught us a few lines of a song and had us sing it as a group a few times. Then... she had us sing it individually. Worst. Nightmare. There I was singing solo in front of three other people with my not-even-close-to-Kelly-Clarkson voice. After preforming, we were free to go, without any comment or criticism. I of course was beating myself up and wanted to go hide under a rock.

The Part/Read-through

I don't remember how long we had to wait, but after at least a week, the cast list was posted. I was listed under "Ensemble". Great! It was exactly what I wanted. There was no way I wanted a lead after that traumatizing audition. So, we had our first read-through after the Christmas break... which I did not know about and missed. Ms. Porter, the drama teacher, was very stern with me when I came the next time. So there I was, the poor little sophomore who was already terrified and knew absolutely nobody in the room. There were two groups of the ensemble: the passengers and the sailors. All the sailors were men, so I assumed I was going to be a passenger. And I was for a couple read throughs. However, Ms. Porter soon realized that I was not the slacker she originally thought me to be and could actually be a very capable actress if I could just find the confidence. So she made me a sailor. Yes, I was the only female sailor. I was the sailor who arrested Moonface the gangster ^_^.

The Plot

The S.S. American, sailing from New York to England, carries an unusual group of passengers. Included amongst them are a gangster (Moonface Martin), a wealthy debutante and her mother (Hope and Evangeline Harcourt), a nightclub singer (Reno Sweeny), and a wealthy New York businessman and his stowaway assistant (Elisha Witney and Billy Crocker). It turns out that Hope is Billy's long-lost love. Unfortunately, she is now engaged to a wealthy Englishman, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. During a series of comedic happenings, Billy attempts to win back Hope. Meanwhile, Billy's friend, Reno, tries to seduce and win Lord Evelyn. All this happens while Moonface Martin attempts to escape the law and Hope's mother strives to maintain her social status.

The Costume

Sadly, my mom took plenty of pictures of our performances, but we are unable to access them right now. I remember my costume though: a white sailor's top, a waist-high, knee-length navy blue skirt with silver buttons, a white sailor cap, and black buckle heels. I had my hair in small, tight curls, and my makeup was extremely dark, but just natural colors.

Annie

I had so much fun doing "Anything Goes" that I decided that I wanted to do the play the next year no matter what it was. This time, my sister and her friends had all started high school and wanted to do it as well. (I had quite an influence on them XP). So we all signed up for the same audition day.

The Audition

Now that I knew what was going on and I was older, I was not as terrified as last time. Plus I knew a lot of the people there, so it helped a little. This audition was a singing AND acting audition. I braved through the solo part of the singing audition. There were more people listening this time. The acting audition was kind of fun. Since I had more confidence this time, I decided I wouldn't mind having a bigger part (not a lead, mind you. I'm not stupid, deaf, and/or full of myself. I know I'm not a good enough singer to ever get a lead in a musical). I gave it all I had in the parts that Ms. Porter had me read (I remember reading for some of the orphans, some of the servants, and one person from Hooverville). I really wanted to be an orphan. I never got a callback, but I think Afton did... I'd have to double check that. Because of that, I was afraid that I didn't get ANY part. So many people had auditioned and Ms. Porter had warned us that there would be people that wouldn't make it.

The Part/Read-through

The waiting seemed to take forever! But finally the cast list went up. Luckily I DID make the list. I was Mrs. Greer, the housekeeper. I wasn't entirely happy at first, but I was over it by the time the read-through came around. At least I had an actual name this time, not just "Ensemble". And as we read the script, I found that I even had my own solo line, "Bubbles! No, soap I think." I thoroughly enjoyed having people I already knew in the cast with me. There were people I had befriended from "Anything Goes" and then basically the rest of the cast were Mormons.

The Plot

In the depths of the 1930's, Annie is a fiery young orphan girl who must live in a miserable orphanage run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan. Her seemingly hopeless situation changes dramatically when she is selected to spend a short time at the residence of the wealthy munitions industrialist, Oliver Warbucks. Quickly, she charms the hearts of the household staff and even the seemingly cold-hearted Warbucks cannot help but learn to love this wonderful girl. He decides to help Annie find her long lost parents by offering a reward if they would come to him and prove their identity. However, Miss Hannigan, her evil brother, Rooster, and a female accomplice, plan to impersonate those people to get the reward for themselves.

The Costume

Ah-ha! I have pictures from this. All the female servants wore these large gray dresses, white aprons, and white caps. My hair was simply plastered to my head underneath the cap, and my make up was excessively dark, but natural colors.

Warbucks and the orphans

Mrs. Greer

Warbucks and Annie

Seussical

Senior year! Senioritus... yeah, it hit me hard. But it didn't stop me from wanting to the play that year. I knew that Ms. Porter always favored seniors and gave them favorable parts. There was no way I would pass that opportunity up. Even if I didn't get a "favorable" part, I still wanted to be in the play, so I, along with the majority of the "Annie" cast, signed up for auditions.

The Audition

Auditions were basically the same as last year. Singing and acting. No problem though, I had done this before, I was more experienced, I didn't have to worry, right? Well... except for one minor detail. I had just got my wisdom teeth out about two weeks before the audition and my jaw was still sore. I pressed on though. Once again, I braved through the solo part of the singing audition (although I had to quit in the middle because I couldn't hit the high notes). I knew that would hurt my chances of getting a good part, but I did NOT want to be singing that high in front of people by myself. I did have an advantage during this audition since I already knew all the songs and the story (and was probably the only one besides Ms. Porter and Amy). The acting audition was fun and I was given big parts to read. Ms. Porter actually laughed heartily at my performance of the Cat in the Hat. I was in fact called back for the Cat, Mrs. Mayor, and a bird girl.

The Part/Read-through

Waiting didn't seem as long this time. People kept telling me that they thought I would get the Cat. That would be nice. I considered the possibility sometimes, but when it really came down to it, I knew that I wouldn't get such a big part. And I didn't. The list came out, I got a bird girl. Even though I knew I wouldn't get a huge part, I was still just a little bit disappointed. But, the bird girls had a lot of stage time since they did a lot of narrating (they were the jungle gossipers). The read-through wasn't long since most of the play is singing. I grew to love my part and the other bird girls (and was exceedingly glad not to be a lead in this particular play after seeing how hard they had to work).

The Plot

The Cat in the Hat is the host and emcee (and all-around mischief-maker) in this romp through the Seuss classics. When the sweet, good-natured elephant Horton hears a small cry for help coming from a small speck of dust, he promises to rescue and guard it because "a person's a person, no matter how small." On that small speck of dust lives JoJo, an imaginative young Who. JoJo has astounding "thinks," in which anything's possible, but his parents believe this creativity is inappropriate for the son of the Mayor of Who-Ville. Meanwhile, the one-feathered bird, Miss Gertrude McFuzz, desperately wants Horton to notice her. Maybe, she thinks, she just needs a more impressive tail. At the same time, the amazingly lazy Maysie La Bird connives, cajoles and convinces Horton to sit on her egg while she goes off on a spree. Will the planet of Who survive? Will Horton pay attention to Gertrude? Will Maysie ever return for her egg? Dr. Seuss's beloved classic characters find themselves intertwined in an incredible crazy-quilt adventure, in which the power of imagination and the most miraculous "think" ever save the day!

The Costume

We got PLENTY of pictures of this production. I loved my costume for this and I especially loved my makeup. Hair, not so much. It was really uncomfortable. All the bird girls wore a fancy dress, a feather boa, a feather tail, and a feather puff in our hair. Our hair was pulled back and had to sit on our heads in curls like a nest, or if it was too short, sprout out like a tree. Our make up was extravagant, it could be whatever we wanted, it just had to match our bird colors. Mine was just the green and pink with sparkles and bedazzles.

Cat in the Hat, Mrs. Mayor, Mayor of Whoville, Jojo

Bird girl

Horton the Elephant

Gertrude McFuzz, Horton, Sour Kangaroo

Ahhh... I do miss it all. I actually remember parts of dances to some of the songs in all of the plays. Yes, even as far back as "Anything Goes". I'm excited to go see "High School Musical" this month. I'll actually be sitting in the audience instead of backstage or in the spotlight. It'll be fun to watch and know what's happening behind the scenes :)