BCA Narrative Essay

Coming into high school was amazing because it was nice to experience, a whole new school setting. But in reality my first year was the worst year. I lost my grandfather along with three uncles, and it shook my whole year. The fact that i am still in school is outstanding, when i look upon it. The most difficult obstacle for me was getting back on track after what i went through my freshman year high school.

I never thought the day would come where I’d have to admit to myself I had an addiction. The hardest part was to except the fact I was an addict of painkillers and admitting it to my family so that I could get the help and support needed to get clean. The road leading to my addiction started with the factors of my childhood, always trying to fit in and not being supported emotionally from my parents. Having a child at the age of sixteen was the second factor, which made me grow up faster than a normal child at my age would have had to. Living the life of an addict was a struggle everyday but, getting help was the hardest part of it all. I’ll live with this disease for the rest of my life because recovery is a

"I’m so nervous,” I complained to my mom as we walked into the Waukesha Civic Theatre. “What if I’m not good enough. I haven’t even prepared that much!” It was a crisp September day and some leaves had already started changing color. On the way home from school my mom told me about a play that the theater puts on near us every year and thought I would be good for it. Since I had only heard about the audition that day, it gave me a few hours to pick my song and be prepared for whatever part they wanted me to read. The next song that came on the radio was the song “Edge of Glory” by Lady GaGa and because it was in my vocal range I thought it would be good for me. Little did I know that this audition would change my view of theater.

It’s four o’clock in the afternoon and the sun is still shining bright in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. It is hot outside, about 99 degrees. My heart is pounding with fear of the unknown. The bus stops and the doors fold open. A soldier comes running up the bus stairs in a round brown hat screaming at the top of his lungs, “Get off the bus, now soldiers!” I jump out of my seat and immediately rush to the front of the bus, along with about twenty other new recruits. I have no idea what to expect but have heard the horror stories about basic training and how much the Drill Sergeants yell and apparently this Drill Sergeant has a set of lungs on him that could dwarf a bullhorn.

I remembered that I did not mind having to play all these songs repeatedly, but I do remember getting angry that I did not get first chair. My first chair position was taken away when a senior somehow got sick on her audition day, so she received extra days to practice. I was disappointed. More than half the class worked on being eligible to travel by improving their grades. Others began to complain about how irritated they were when the whole band had to restart the same section over again due to someone else’s mistake or lack of

Standing in position behind the performance curtain, the dancers await a full audience on the other side as they stand completely silent, eagerly waiting in excitement for the curtain to open. For junior dancer Sommer Danielsen, the adrenaline rush pumps through her veins as the curtain finally opens and the music starts playing. This is exactly what she was born to do. Perform.

Over the past 3 years at Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School I've been able to blossom into a culture of music and theater. I started choir in 6th grade, along side doing that years musical. Music and theater weren't new to me at that point, for I knew what it's like to dance to loud music in my room, and what it's like to sit through musicals and plays my older sisters did. And I was eager to star in my own musicals and concerts. That’s when "Shakespeare Comes to Calamity Creek" showed me what it's like to be in a performance, and how much work it takes outside of it. That it takes more than just the time at rehearsal to make a show great. How it takes a couple of hours just to remember lines, or how it takes a couple of rehearsals to really get

I had to practice audition songs and study my monologues relentlessly. I remember the first time that he really pushed me out of my comfort zone when I was cast as Ellerd in The Foreigner my freshman year. My director sat me down and had a candid talk with me, “Hey, this is a big role for a little person like you. I’m going to be hard on you because if you want these kinds of roles, this is where it will begin.” This was an instant wake up call. Opening night reared its ugly head, and everyone was going through their pre-show routine. As I was getting miced up, my director found me and had another one of his famous talks, “This is a big night for you, your first big role. I want you to know that I’m going to be your biggest cheerleader out there tonight. But these past few weeks rehearsing and practicing are finally going to pay off. And I want you to know that your performance tonight will show me if you are ready for the big leagues next year. So don’t be nervous, you’ll do great.” As I was entranced by his words, it finally hit me: he wants me to be in the future productions. He must really see me as an asset to the theater department. Maybe the stage is where I belong. Maybe I’ll really blow his mind with this performance, and that's exactly what I did. I nailed every line, the dialogue flowing out of me, almost like there was no script. As we finished our curtain call, we all stumbled off the stage to meet our audience for autographs and the occasional picture, but as I was leaving to greet my fans, my director stopped me with the biggest grin on his face. He explained how proud he was. I showed him exactly what he wanted.. Because of that performance, Mr. Nesseth saw me in a whole new way that gave me confidence and the foundation for greater

Then, it all fell apart. My teacher had left, she didn't tell anyone she was leaving. People cried, whined, and complained. We went through a million substitute teachers, some of them even quit. One of our subs. had a catchphrase of “Stop visiting!”. She looked like a baboon that had its banana taken away. There were a lot more terrible subs, and room 9 was sick of them, but that year I didn't chicken out of play auditions. I didn't know why but I got a sudden burst of confidence. I auditioned for The Music Man and I believe I did amazingly. I got a decent part as Ethel Toffelmeir. She was a pick a little lady and had a speaking and singing role. I was very excited.

All the judges were going to look at was me and only me, I had nothing to help cover up my mistakes. I took some deep breathes as I was announced, and walked out into my first formation on stage. As the music started I was doing okay, then I looked into one of the judges eyes and I blanked. I could not remember the rest of my choreography. I had let my nerves get the best of me! I had heard enough times from my instructor that the judges do not know our solos so we can improvise something. I did just that, but when I walked off that stage I was disappointed in myself. My whole family had shown up just to see me forget my solo! I could not bare to face my family and see the looks of disappointment on their faces. I went back to the dressing room to get ready for awards, as I was finished I had worked up enough courage to go see my family. As I was walking out the doors I was shocked to see my family standing in the waiting area smiling from ear to ear. I walked up to my mom crying because I thought she would be disappointed in me and her opinion matters the most to me. My mom told me that she was so proud of me because I had the courage to go out on that stage and perform all by

By the time we had finished setting up the stage the rest of the band had arrived and with the help of some of the music staff we began to adjust the volume levels. Once the sound check was complete we began rehearsing our performance. Due to the lack of allocated time we were only performing one song, a blues arrangement of Cantaloupe Island by Duke Ellington. After several successful run throughs the basic form of the song, I became increasingly nervous as I waited for our conductor to choose who would be playing a solo.

For this production, Friday had many responsibilities to make sure the rehearsal process ran smoothly. Although she never had to make any blocking notes (the actors stood in front of microphones for the entirety of the show), she had to take numerous line notes. She also had to help set up and tear down the microphones, chairs, and the foley, the equipment used for sound effects. Lastly, she had to time the production. She had to time the entire run time along with the time for each scene. She told me that this was information for the editors when they go back and look at the recordings

As we began to learn our singing parts and I heard all the beautiful voices surrounding me, I had a moment when I thought, "Oh my, God. I don't think I'm talented enough to be a part of this cast. At some point someone, or all of the production staff, is going to realize that they made a huge mistake." As I drove home I kept telling myself that I am going to need to work extremely hard and bust my little booty to prove that I belong in the cast.

Being in a one-act show, then having the opportunity to direct one only months later, opens up an entirely new perspective regarding the endless labor required, necessary love for your craft, and vital engagement with your cast and stage managers. The One Act Festival of 2017 was one of the most difficult processes and performances of which I have ever been part, with both an intense emotional and physical toll. Now I am stepping once again into the same festival, but as a director -- an entirely new perspective.

It was pretty hectic getting everyone ready on time to warm-up in the music room and get their makeup and costume on. Because of the fact that it was our first performance, as a whole cast,we didn’t know what to expect from it. So everyone was all over the place worrying about what they had to do. Every time I