In high school, I was a very shy person. I was not involved in much, besides orchestra and art club, and I kept my head down for the most part. I tried not to draw attention to myself and I breezed through my time at high school like that. However, I missed out on a lot of things I wanted to try because of my timid nature. Thus, I promised myself that when I began college, I was going to jump out of my comfort zone and try all sorts of new things. And I did! I become involved in all sorts of clubs and organizations in leadership roles that I would never have been in before.
One of those clubs was the Drama Society. I had always wanted to try acting and singing, but I had never been confident in myself. Yet, when I auditioned for roles in my college's play and musical, everyone involved was kind and welcoming. They calmed my nerves and supported my endeavors the entire time. Soon enough, I found myself apart of a new family that believed in me, sometimes even more than I believed in myself. I have learned so much since becoming involved in the Drama Society, but here are a few things I've learned from being involved in my first musical, Hair.
1. Time management becomes incredibly important
Being apart of a musical is a huge commitment. Rehearsal takes up a large amount of time and, thus, you must adjust your schedule accordingly. Your free time will be cut down substantially and if you aren't careful about managing your time, you will find yourself stressed out beyond belief.
2. You will be thrown into the spotlight
Regardless if you are a leading role or a tree in the background, at some point you will find yourself in the spotlight. When all eyes are on you, it can be easy to freeze up and want to run away. Yet, you will have to fight against that urge and find a way to bask in the spotlight. At first, I was terrified of being a lead role in the musical, but now I am ecstatic at the opportunity and loving every moment of it.
3. Memorization becomes everything
I hope you have a good memory, because being apart of a musical requires it! You will ultimately have to memorize the entire show, from your lines, to the dances, the blocking of movements, and lyrics in all the songs. On top of that, you have to remember how you are going to portray your character in each scene and how your character interacts with other characters on the stage.
4. You have to become someone else
When you decide to be involved in a musical, you have to be prepared to embrace your new role. When you have a role, especially a lead role, you are not acting as someone else on stage, you are becoming someone else. When I step on the stage, I say goodbye to myself and hello to the character I am portraying. I have to break out of my habits and embrace my character's quirks. People always ask if I'm nervous when I step on stage and, to be completely honest, I'm not. I'm nervous before I step in the spotlight, because backstage I am Mariah. Yet, as soon as I step foot into the lights, I am my character, who doesn't even know, or care, that the crowd exists.
5. You become apart of a family
When you spend every single day with a group of people, you become attached to them. You find yourself friends with people you never would have considered talking to before and wishing the best for everyone around you. You all are striving to do your best together to make the show the best it can be and a bond forms between all of you because of this. I am going to miss my Drama Society family once the show is over!
