This personal narrative is published in collaboration with Alexa Ault’s English classes and was edited for grammar and AP style by a Knight Life editor.
When I first stepped onto the stage, I was 6 years old. I first learned to love performing at a young age, and it has stuck with me ever since. I learned from my mom, who was a performer, and she inspired my love for the arts from a very young age.
I auditioned for “The Lion King Jr.” at a local theater. I was cast in a minor role, naturally, this being my first show. But then I moved from Illinois to Minnesota, eight hours away from anyone I knew and felt comfortable around. But that’s one of the many great things about the theater community worldwide. As long as you speak their language, you are bound to fit in with them.
I moved to a small suburban town named Delano, and shortly after, auditioned for the fall musical, “The Magic Treehouse: Pirates Past Noon.” I was cast in a supporting role. I was so excited. I was moving up in the acting world, but the show fell into the unfortunate time frame of COVID-19. The school went virtual about a month before the show was set to open, and we never returned to it.
Three years later, our theater program was restarting, following the shutdown and our director’s departure. But, yet again, I was moving.
This time, I moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where I live today. I immediately found a new theater, the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. My first show there was “Puffs: Young Actors Edition.” I felt so happy because I got a bigger role. This time, I had the intimidating task of playing seven different characters.
Looking back on it, I realize that everyone had a lot of roles, but I had never done anything like this. I had to run around constantly, switching entrances and exits, using every way in and out of the stage, and interacting with the audience.
That show was a rather small one. We had a cast of twelve, but we were incredibly close, and we knew each other well. By the end of it, many of us knew everybody else’s parts. We’ve stayed close up to today, and will be close for years to come. However, it eventually came to an end, as all things do.
Yet another opportunity surfaced: “Polkadots,” also at the Civic. The show had a heavier subject matter – discrimination – but we handled it well. The cast was incredibly talented, and we perfected the show.
Then performances came around, and cracks started to show. We had actors who had never performed before, and they were scared. They forgot entrances, sang wrong notes, and blanked on lines. The show hit ruts frequently, but we got through.
A year later, I had another opportunity: “The Lion King Jr.” at the Civic. I chose a different route this time, though. I chose to be a stage manager this time, to be one of the people behind the scenes, making sure things run smoothly. The show was a massive success, selling out every single show
One opportunity led to another, and I found myself auditioning for “Urinetown”, Norrix’s show this year. I was cast as a freshman, one of six. I’ve begun to realize that I am a capable actor, and though I don’t want to pursue a career in acting, I want to continue to act for the rest of my life.
