Even More Stuff I Found
High school sucked for me. Wait, let me rephrase that. High school REALLY sucked for me. I was not popular. I was not cute. I hated myself. I hated other people. I couldn't wait for 3:05PM, when the magical doors opened and I could head home.
There was one refuge for me. One oasis in the desert that was my youth. A little dramatic? Yes! But that's a perfect segue because that haven was the Drama Room. In the Drama Room I was popular. In the Drama Room I was slightly cuter than I was at my locker. In the Drama Room I was happy and comfortable and I could be myself. Without Drama, my high school years would have been unbearable.
Twice a year however, life got even a little more bearable! Because twice a year, I got to go to FESTIVAL! Yes, FESTIVAL! Festival was where we got to take all of our creativity and all of what made us unique and compete against every other school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It was where Drama turned into DRAMA. It was like that scene in "A Chorus Line" where women and men are wearing leotards and stretching and singing, "God I Hope I Get It"! It was where a bunch of pimply-faced teenagers got their first real taste of rejection, and where the lucky few got to shine.
I failed miserably at many of these festivals. But, damn it, I picked myself up, rooted for the rest of my class, and vowed to try again the following semester. Then I vowed to try again the following school year. I would not give up because, at the very least, I was going to bond with other creative people and I was going to learn how to hear, "NO!", over and over again.
Then came 1988. There I was, all of 16 years old and Shakespeare Festival was on the way. I desperately wanted to do a monologue because I wanted to have only myself to rely on. (There were categories for monologues and group scenes, serious and comedic.) I also wanted to prove to my drama teacher, who never gave me a big part in a show, that I was worthy. Somehow I didn't get my scene assignment until three days before the festival. I think maybe I was originally in the serious category and was allowed to switch at the last minute. I picked a scene from "Twelfth Night" and played the characters Pyramus and Thisbe. My friend Sue Frietag directed me and we stayed up for what I believe was 72 hours in a row. Incidentally, Sue is now the drama teacher at the high school I attended.
Well, long story short, in a competition with about 50 schools, I won first prize. Which also meant you had to perform your monologue in front of the entire audience comprised of everyone competing in every category from every school. I believe I had already performed the scene seven times that day. And when I heard my name called I DRAMATICALLY collapsed to the floor and cried. I had only moments to pull myself together and perform one last time. I received quite an ovation. And the moment was made even better by the fact that my parents were in the audience! (They were judges in some of the other categories.)
Well, it's a moment I will never forget... Second only to my wedding day. Is that wrong? And I'm never getting rid of this damn trophy. It may be the only one I ever win.
There was one refuge for me. One oasis in the desert that was my youth. A little dramatic? Yes! But that's a perfect segue because that haven was the Drama Room. In the Drama Room I was popular. In the Drama Room I was slightly cuter than I was at my locker. In the Drama Room I was happy and comfortable and I could be myself. Without Drama, my high school years would have been unbearable.
Twice a year however, life got even a little more bearable! Because twice a year, I got to go to FESTIVAL! Yes, FESTIVAL! Festival was where we got to take all of our creativity and all of what made us unique and compete against every other school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It was where Drama turned into DRAMA. It was like that scene in "A Chorus Line" where women and men are wearing leotards and stretching and singing, "God I Hope I Get It"! It was where a bunch of pimply-faced teenagers got their first real taste of rejection, and where the lucky few got to shine.
I failed miserably at many of these festivals. But, damn it, I picked myself up, rooted for the rest of my class, and vowed to try again the following semester. Then I vowed to try again the following school year. I would not give up because, at the very least, I was going to bond with other creative people and I was going to learn how to hear, "NO!", over and over again.
Then came 1988. There I was, all of 16 years old and Shakespeare Festival was on the way. I desperately wanted to do a monologue because I wanted to have only myself to rely on. (There were categories for monologues and group scenes, serious and comedic.) I also wanted to prove to my drama teacher, who never gave me a big part in a show, that I was worthy. Somehow I didn't get my scene assignment until three days before the festival. I think maybe I was originally in the serious category and was allowed to switch at the last minute. I picked a scene from "Twelfth Night" and played the characters Pyramus and Thisbe. My friend Sue Frietag directed me and we stayed up for what I believe was 72 hours in a row. Incidentally, Sue is now the drama teacher at the high school I attended.
Well, long story short, in a competition with about 50 schools, I won first prize. Which also meant you had to perform your monologue in front of the entire audience comprised of everyone competing in every category from every school. I believe I had already performed the scene seven times that day. And when I heard my name called I DRAMATICALLY collapsed to the floor and cried. I had only moments to pull myself together and perform one last time. I received quite an ovation. And the moment was made even better by the fact that my parents were in the audience! (They were judges in some of the other categories.)
Well, it's a moment I will never forget... Second only to my wedding day. Is that wrong? And I'm never getting rid of this damn trophy. It may be the only one I ever win.
posted by Lisa at 1:19 AM
6 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Not only did you come home late after 7.5 hours together, but you managed to knock out this entry AND stir up major 1st place festival winning memories of my own (not to, IN ANY WAY, make this about me!). So I thank you.
Congratulations on your success that made high school bearable for you and congrats for making me wanna go dig up MY old trophies out of storage. I won't... but you at least triggered the ol' impulse to do so just by inspiring me.
It's an incomparable feeling when someone writes something special you can especially relate to.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday. I remember you rehearsing in the living room the day before festival with Mom and I giving you our comments and notes. When the winner was announced and your name was called, Mom and I screamed and yelled and cried all at the same time.
And when you did the monologue for the entire audience and got tremendous laughs and an ovation at the end, it was like nothing we had experienced before. We knew that you were destined for something more than waiting tables at Fridays.
Good memories are what makes you keep coming back when life kicks you around a little. Always keep them in the forefront of your mind.
Jeff! Absolutely get those trophies out, shine 'em up and look at 'em!
And, Dad... You rock.
I hope the potential OTHER blog you have in mind is more frequently updated than this one.
Ms. Greib would haunt you forever if you got rid of that trophy. I know, because she (and her cat) are tormenting me for getting rid of mine.
still, I kept the participant ribbons from Festival and all the programs from Play Production.
oh D Building...you were sanctuary for so many.
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