ABOUT ME
When I was in the second grade, my teacher would call us over to the carpet for story time. I would look up at her intently as she read, fascinated by the characters and their journeys throughout the book. Once I got home from school, those characters would still be on my mind. My imagination would transform my basement into the characters’ worlds. I grabbed my Legos, who would become the characters, and I played for hours, creating my own new stories.
This fascination for characters and stories brought me to my first Broadway show at age eight. I saw how people could change into characters with their own unique stories, similar to my transformation of my Legos. The actors distracted me from my problems through song, dance, and emotion. This inspired me to pursue a new interest- acting.
By age twelve, I performed in numerous plays and musicals, and it became one of my favorite hobbies. Last year, my high school announced that our 2022 musical would be Cinderella. I worked hard to prepare my audition piece, but I was unsure if I would even get cast because I had to audition over the phone while sick.
I was delighted to find out I had a callback: this was an opportunity I would not let idly pass by so I thoroughly studied the materials, evaluating the characters from different perspectives. I went into the callback feeling confident and I left feeling pleased with my performance. About a week later, I learned that I was cast as the King. My world abruptly switched from normal school life to the craziness of preparing for a musical. Despite that,I was thrilled to have a role in the production.
About halfway through rehearsals, after hours of memorization and character work to bring the King to life, I was offered the role of the Prince by the directors. They noticed my dedication and, after much consideration, decided I was best suited as the Prince. I was both surprised and proud that I would be trusted with the main male lead. I immediately started over, memorizing new lines, songs, and choreography.
A few weeks later was opening night and after all the preparation we had done, I felt optimistic for the show. When opening night arrived, I got on stage and I was the Prince. I was hyper-focused — adopting mannerisms and gestures to let the Prince’s personality shine through. The Prince became a real person that night to me and to all who saw the production.
At the end of the night, as I heard the applause from the audience, I hoped that for that brief period, I had distracted them from their problems and stresses of life. When I took my last bow, I felt fulfilled. I am sure that my love of performing was clearly evident on my face. All the work and time I had put in was worth it.
As I walked off stage, I looked over at the audience once more, and I was eager to do it all again the next night. Music and performing, which started as a hobby, had become my passion.
