By Anna Beyette ’17, Contributor
From the very first moment I set foot on stage as Ralph S. Mouse in our third grade production of The Mouse and the Motorcycle, I knew that I had to do another show. Now 8 years later, And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie is my 10th show at Country Day. The murder mystery takes place on Indian Island, where ten guests are invited to a dinner party. After dinner a mysterious voice accuses each person of being involved in killing someone at some point in their lives. Then people start dying. The guests must race to find out who among them is the murderer, before they are all killed.
Performing in And Then There Were None was an incredible experience. Not only were the other high school actors and technical crew that I worked with wonderful, but we also got a chance to work with some very middle schoolers. This year, with an entirely new production team, many new ideas and practices were put in place. While Mr. Femia and Mr. Lindahl left a hard spot to fill, Ms. Bodollo and Mr. DiTullio were certainly up to the challenge. Between the directors, technical crew, and cast there is an incredible sense of camaraderie. We truly are a family. I have never doubted that the people I do shows with will be there to support me in my decisions.
My friends and I have often discussed how the school should require participation in one theater production before graduation. While I don’t think that this is the most plausible idea, I do strongly recommend that everyone does one show before they graduate. Participating in a theater performance allows you to get to know your classmates (of all grades) so much better. There are so many sides to our classmates that we never get to see. Oftentimes during the course of lively if time-consuming rehearsals, I am shocked to discover the different personalities of the other cast and crew members. For example, I have discovered that my male cast mates like flowery-scented hairspray far better than other scents of hairspray. I know this because my male cast mates steal my flowery hairspray over the other hairsprays provided by the costumers. The things that you learn about people during a show create a connection and a bond that truly is unbreakable.
So often on the last night of a show seniors who have never participated in theater until their last year share with the cast how much they wished that they had given theater a chance sooner. Frequently these seniors talk about how they have played on sports teams or participated in academic teams, yet they have never felt as accepted and as close with a group of people as they have in the theater program. They urge cast members to continue their journeys in Country Day’s theater program, and restate again and again how strongly they believe that everyone should be involved in a show at some point in their high school career.
For me, the love of theater goes beyond just that of a hobby. Theater makes me who I am; without its influence I would not have the values that I do today. While it is true that because of my involvement in theater I have had to stay at school until 10 P.M., wear curlers to school, and give up much of my free time to memorize lines, I have also learned so much about myself and our community in the process. When I am onstage I don’t feel any fear of being judged. I have a chance to be someone else for a couple of hours; a chance to discover things about my character and at the same time learn about how I relate to her on a personal level. Some people say that acting is lying, but I disagree. I have put more of myself into every character that I portray than I knew was possible. Theater has inspired confidence in me. By putting some of myself in each character I have learned that people will not judge me off the stage for showing those same traits. I have learned that sometimes being a little weird starts conversations with people you never would have expected to talk to. Never have I had more people stop me in the halls to talk with me than when I wear curlers to school for a show. Most importantly I have learned to trust my instincts and to be proud of what I have to offer the world.
While theater is my way to learn about myself and our community, I have no doubt that there are many other ways that others achieve the same goal. I hope that everyone thinks seriously about being a part of a production here at Country Day, whether on or behind the stage.
