Behind the Curtain-by Avalee Fray-McCroskey

Drama. Drama means different things to different people. To one person it might mean gossip about someone, but to me, it means (insert dramatic pause here) theatre. Theatre has always been an important thing in my life. I have been in over 20 productions and I can’t get enough of it. Drama at Seattle Lutheran High School is an extraordinary thing. It is fun and exciting. Drama can take you away from any struggles or hurt you may be dealing with. Being a part of a production is a long yet fun process.

It all starts with the auditions. You walk into the room where everyone is gathered and you try to suppress your nerves. Everyone looks at you and welcomes you with open arms. The auditions eventually start and when your name is called you will read a scene from the play with a few other people. You do this several times until auditions are over. Now comes the hardest part, waiting for the cast list to go up. The day finally comes when the list is posted and you start you long walk down the hall. The hall maybe filled with people but all of your attention is on the list at the end of the hall. You get to the list and search for your name. THERE IT IS!!! You feel so happy that you want to tell everyone you know.

The next step is rehearsals. There are roughly seven weeks between auditions and opening night. This may seem like a good amount of time, but it flies by. You are too busy with homework, blocking, learning your lines, and finding your character to realize that rehearsals are almost over. The last week of rehearsals is called tech week because you run the entire show start to finish with stage crew, lights, sounds, costumes, makeup and hair. This entire week you practically live at school. The week ends and suddenly it is Friday, opening night. you arrive at the stage to get into your costume and make-up. Everyone arrives and is all jittery. You all get ready and people begin to arrive. You hide back stage until the lights go down and you realize it’s SHOW TIME! The show goes on and you do your part. You might mess up slightly but no one in the audience notices. The lights go off and the show is over. You feel exhilarated. You do the same thing on Sunday and then you realize it is all over. The show was a success and all of your hard work paid off. You may or may not do drama again but the experience will stay with you your entire life and you won’t regret it!