That moment when you are waiting backstage, waiting for it to start: there’s nothing like it. As you step out on to the stage: it’s dark, almost as if the curtain was down. But then the lights are turned up, so bright, the heartbeat quickens, the faces of the audience come into focus as they look at you, waiting, you take a breath, open your mouth, and it all begins.
Last weekend, Wayland Middle School students had a production of Peter Pan Jr. As a cast member, it thought it was thrilling. When I first volunteered to participate in the play, I was pretty nervous. But, eventually, I learned the play as we rehearsed over and over. In the process, I began to become close to so many of the other cast members, and I loved every moment of it.
As the show went on, behind all my makeup and my costume, I was smiling with pride at how far I had come (indeed, how far we all had come). At the end, I was sad that it was over: just as the cast and crew had become like second family to me, I began to realize that we would ultimately be separating(as next year the 8th graders would be moving on and we would also get new 6th graders). Still, I knew we would always have this experience to share and that on some level that we would always be “family”.
I learned that this is all a part of the process of participating in a play. It can be an amazing experience and while I didn’t quite know what I was getting into when I showed up at that first rehearsal, I learned that performing in a play can be really fun. Even better than just having fun, though, has been the chance to make new friendships.
Based on my experience, I encourage everyone to take the leap and join our next play. I am pretty sure that you, like me, will have lots of fun, and you may even discover some hidden talent you didn’t know you had! It may be your time to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. You’ll never know until you try.