I worked on my first play this fall: SCHS Drama Department’s “Radium Girls.” As someone with no prior experience in theater, I learned so much about stage acting while meeting new people, making me wish it had lasted longer.
My growing interest over the years in theater motivated me to take the elective at SCHS as a freshman. Hoping the skills I was learning could be beneficial for the play, I decided to audition, which started on Aug. 28, 2025.
The theater was filled with veteran students and newcomers like myself. Meeting potential cast members with diverse backgrounds excited me. At the audition, we were given paper scripts to read off of, with small and medium length excerpts of scenes with the characters.
Each student was given two scripts of different characters to read and try out with their acting styles. By the end, I received the part of Dr. Knef, the dentist who treats the girls working with radium.
Rehearsal started on Sept. 9, 2025, and my first one was memorable – humbling even. I knew the other freshmen, but the upperclassmen knew each other and had their own circles. It was an awkward situation, and it intimidated me but did not stop me from trying to make myself familiar with fellow cast members.
I eventually got closer to my upperclassmen, especially thanks to our director and drama teacher, Erin Southard. From forcing us into cast bonding sessions to playing games, her direction made it easy to become comfortable in the new environment.
When we eventually had our first read through with the script, I was able to see how actors in real time displayed their characters’ thoughts and actions in such natural ways. It was fascinating watching them instantly display this talent. For instance, the actor who played Dr. Von Sochocky, Gil Bona, was very swift and accurate with their accent. How they could speak with the accent on the spot was jaw dropping.
Our first off-book day was Oct. 20, 2025. I will always remember the experience of forgetting all my lines the instant the script was taken away from me. It was a hard moment, but I did not feel too bad because I had a community of people I could rely on to help me with my acting.
As we kept practicing and running through our lines, I struggled with my first scene the most. I never got my lines right. I always mixed up cues and screamed out with embarrassment “LINE” – code for “I forgot what to say.”
The stage managers would then tell the line and whenever it was my time to speak. In those instances, my upperclassmen would reassure me that every mistake is just a learning block.
In what felt like a swift second of a breath, opening night was upon us. I was welcomed into drama culture and introduced to the SCHS department’s traditions. We created an “energy circle,” huddling together and holding hands right over left, chanting “Energy, energy all around, it brings you up and brings you down.” With that, I knew I was welcomed with open arms as one of their own, and I am looking forward to seeing my upperclassmen again in our spring musical, “Chicago.”