do what you like and it will never be boring
DESCRIPTION
This is about a play I was in.TRANSCRIPT
DO WHAT YOU LIKE AND IT WILL NEVER BECOME BORING By: Charlotte
If you love to do something, no matter how hard you have to work, nothing will ever make it a chore. Week one “Charlotte can you come here please?” My mom called from downstairs. “Sure!” I replied. I walked down the stairs trying to think if I had done anything bad, lately which could get me in trouble. Nothing came to mind. “Read this email I got from Jane!” Recently I had auditioned for my first professional play. It was called “The Miracle Worker.” I was so excited that I had finally received the results. I was also very nervous. I had never been rejected from a play before and I really wanted to be in this. I began to read the email. The first line said, “Here’s the thing,” and to me that meant I’m out. I didn’t want to read anymore but I did to see if it gave feedback on what I can do better. I continued reading and I read, “We cast 6 girls. Charlotte would have been the next in line. We wanted to cast her because she was very good. So we decided to see if Charlotte would be willing to be what we call a swing for some of the girls. In other words she would do some of the performances (possibly many, if we can fit 7 on the little platform) when she would be the swing she would have lines, but the tough part is – they may be different at different performances. Jane” Jane was the casting director of the show. She also played Helen Keller’s Aunt in this production. “So I am a little confused,” I said to my mom, “I would do some plays but not others and the lines would be different each time?” “Exactly,” my mom stated, “Keep in mind there are 24 shows. Do you still want to do it?” “Yes of course! I will call Jane up right now and confirm my part!” I called Jane and thanked her. I told her I was super happy and ready to work!
***** I walked into the theatre. It was so big! The theatre could seat 350 people. I was so excited that all those people would be coming to see me. I walked up onto the stage and sat in a chair. I began to fill out a form about my height, school, medical conditions, and lots of other stuff. I was told to have my mom sign it for tomorrow.
Then the stage manager, Lindsey gave me a schedule. I glanced down and saw that I had to be there everyday for two weeks from 7pm-‐12am on weekdays. 1pm-‐6pm on weekends. Most of the times we were dismissed earlier. When I saw the schedule I was very happy. Acting is what I really love to do and I would be doing it for a little under 5 hours each day!
Then someone came over and sat down next to me. “Hi! I am Robert! I am playing James Keller, Helen Keller’s brother. Are you one of
the blind students?”
“Yes I am! This is my first show at this theatre and I am the blind student swing! My name is Charlotte!”
I was introduced to everyone in the cast. Then we read through the whole script. We also had 10-‐minute breaks. Then the director, Sue pulled me aside.
“You are the swing, right?” She asked. “Yes I am! Thank you for having me!” “I was wondering if you would mind also having permanent lines in addition to
being the understudy for the blind girls.” I was so ecstatic. I was shocked and to this day have no idea what changed her mind
about me. “I would love to!” I said a little too loudly. “Great, well we will see you tomorrow.” I left the theatre and my dad drove me home. I collapsed onto my bed and fell
asleep. Next Two Weeks
For the next two weeks all I could focus on was the show. I would make notes on my script and learn every blind students lines. I tried on my costumes and made changes to it. I practiced at home, school, and really where ever I went in my travels. I really wanted to be perfect. I also got to know the cast. They were some of the most fun and talented people ever. They were also really inspiring. They taught me new ways to act and they taught me accents. They showed me how you can really bring a character to life. I found it funny how they could be filled with rage on stage and come off very calm. It was all very interesting Opening Night I always get more nervous when I know my family is in the audience. Luckily today they weren’t because it was my brother’s birthday. “I want you all to know how proud I am of you. You put a very amazing and inspiring show together in a few short weeks. I think we have all learned an important message form this show. Tonight I want you all to go onto that stage and really believe you are going through this. Have fun!” Sue said. I went backstage to the left wing with all my blind student friends. We whispered about how much fun we had in the rehearsal process. We discussed the reporters in the audience. We ran through lines and played a few hand games. Now, it was time to go on. We lined up. We put one hand on everyone’s shoulders because that is how blind students walk. We never looked directly at anyone; we just looked wherever the sound was coming from. When I walked on was so proud. The lights hit us and I couldn’t see the audience because it was so black. That made me calmer because I couldn’t see the people’s reactions to us. I remember being really hot because of all the makeup I had to wear. I had to wear makeup to make me look like a blind person. I also had to wear tights, bloomers, and a button down shirt, a tank top, a dress, and black boots. We walked back off stage and silently celebrated. We went back into the greenroom and played cards. “Intermission! 10 minutes!” We heard every hour. “Thank you 10!” We all had to say so people knew we heard it.
At the end of the show there was thunderous applause and we all bowed. Sometimes we got to answer the audience’s questions and sign autographs. Mr. Goldner and Mr. Garnett Cook saw the show and Mr. Goldner has my autograph. Almost Closing Night 23 shows later and it was almost closing night. I was so utterly sad. I didn’t want it to end. The night before the last show we had a cast party and Sue’s house. It is actually next to Heath so I still see Sue sometimes! I brought banana pudding and after all the kids ate, we walked over to the Heath playground! I don’t think I have ever had so much fun on the playground. We made up scripts and just ran around at 8 o clock. It was fun to be at the school that late and showing everyone around. We found a basketball and played a little.
“OKAY KIDS,” an actor yelled, “time to come back tomorrow is the last show so you guys need to get some sleep!”
My dad came to pick me up and I went to sleep. Closing Night I took my last bow, smiling but sad. I listened to Sue’s goodbye speech because she was retiring. I listened to people from the cast talk about the show and how much all of us meant to them. I knew I wouldn’t be seeing most of them again, which only made it sadder. I walked into the greenroom and there were lots of sweets out for us. There was also a packet of our reviews. I picked one up. I only had 6 lines and was only in one scene. I really didn’t care though because everyone starts out small. I flipped it open and when I read, “Several adorable blind girls came to say goodbye to Annie” it made me smile. It made me feel important to the story. Audree, who played Helen Keller, was crying. She was only 8 and she was so sad it was over. She is one best actress I have ever seen. She really brought the character to life with her face and body motions. She is also super nice and welcomes everyone to her cast. What I Learned This play was hard work but I loved what I was doing. I now know if you love something you should stick with it and push yourself so you can become better. You should never doubt you choices and try new things. You should make your choices big and bold rather then small and shy. You need to create a stage presence in the world and have an impact on things. I will NEVER forget this play. Ever. If you love to do something, no matter how hard you have to work, nothing will ever make it a chore.