Student
Comp I-School Name
12 October 2012
A Rollercoaster Musical
The lights dim, and the audience becomes silent. As an actor backstage before a play begins, these surroundings give me chills. The moment has arrived when all the hard work put into a play is about to be worth it. Thomas Edison once said, “Success is ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration.” Edison’s quote describes my experience as the evil Miss Hannigan in Annie, Jr., the Perryville High School musical that was presented in my junior year. Surviving Annie, Jr. took hard work and much more; it required strong willpower and the ability to overcome obstacles.
I was thrilled when I glanced down the casting list and saw my name next to Miss Hannigan’s. I was ready to take on the character. Carol Burnett’s performance as Miss Hannigan in the movie Annie, advice from my voice teacher, and my take on the script left me with a clear picture of Miss Hannigan’s character. I did not want to act like Miss Hannigan; I wanted to be Miss Hannigan. I worked hard to memorize my lines and master my walk, talk, and attitude. I sang my solo, “Little Girls,” and my ensemble, “Easy Street,” out loud or in my head constantly. My mom and I went shopping for my costume. I bought a hot pink bathrobe, an older floral dress from Goodwill, and multiple necklaces and rings from Dollar Jewelry Galore. When I put on my costume, I looked like Miss Hannigan.
Many details of the play were still in disarray with only a week until performance day. Actors had not worked on memorizing their lines as much as they should have, and this was reflected in the energy level of the cast. Even with these setbacks, adequate effort and willpower from the cast as a whole would have been enough to pull off the play in a week.
“Kim’s quitting,” Wesley, a lanky tenth-grader, told me with raised eyebrows.
I was on my way to practice after school, and this was not what I was expecting to hear. Kim,...