I never thought I’d have the courage to be in a musical. I always knew that I loved to sing, but that was about it.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be brave enough to stand up in front of a crowd of people and sing, act and dance. But this year, my sophomore year of high school, I found myself with one of the lead roles of the school musical, doing all of those things.

Throughout the year talk of the musical was floating through the air. I heard rumors of what the play was going to be and the upperclassmen reminisced on the school’s previous play “Grease.” Around November, Mrs. Harris announced that Tyrone would be performing “Guys and Dolls” the next spring.

I had no idea what the musical was about but I planned to try out.  I thought singing in the ensemble would be fun and it was all I was aiming for once auditions rolled around in January. I didn’t not want a lead role and I definitely didn’t expect one. I assumed that the leads were “reserved” for juniors and seniors.  I was just going to audition and take whatever role they gave me.

The singing portion of the audition went off without a hitch and I felt great about it, even though I wasn’t hoping for some spectacular end result with a lead role.

During the acting portion the director explained that the lead role of Miss Adelaide was very ditzy and had a very annoying, high-pitched, nasally voice and she asked us to try and read her lines as such. Many of the girls audition were either too embarrassed or nervous to do it correctly. I decided to go all out with it because I wasn’t aiming for that role anyway. I’m sure I sounded ridiculous when I performed my lines in the most obnoxious, annoying voice I could muster, but apparently that was one of the factors that put me ahead of the others.

The dancing portion of the audition was a struggle for everybody. The girls had a separate dance from the guys and we were judged on how accurately and effectively we could learn a dance combination. The choreographer ran us through the moves and we quickly learned them. It was very difficult for me, but I found a way to laugh at myself and not stress out. I was just having fun.

Sooner than I expected the audition was over. I went home feeling alright, not any more happy or upset than when I arrived. I slept soundly that night without a worry in the world.

The next day I was greeted with an overwhelming surprise.

Outside the chorus room was a piece of paper listing the names of people that were requested for a “callback.” A callback is basically a second audition, after the directors have narrowed down the candidates for lead parts. Callbacks are for the directors to get a better look at the actors and decide who they want for each role.  Seeing my name on that list was one of the first times I actually believed I could get a lead role.

Callbacks were a lot less intimidating than the first audition because there were fewer people there. The director told me that I had been called back for the role of Adelaide. I was very surprised and thrilled at the same time. It was then that I realized how much I really wanted this.

The audition seemed to fly by. I thought I did okay, but I knew the other girls were all very talented as well. Going home I felt good but I didn’t know what was going to happen. I felt that all of the girls had a very good chance of getting Adelaide. I went to bed not wanting to get my hopes up.

The cast list wasn’t released until later the next day, so I was nervous all day. Finally, when the list was posted I ran down to the music suite and to my enormous surprise, I got the role of Adelaide!

I was thrilled to see that I got a lead role! Looking at the rest of the cast list, I was also very excited to see that I would be in the production with many of my friends.

I knew that the experience would be fun but I also knew that it would be a lot of work. A few weeks later we started our rehearsals. Because I had a lead role I was required to be at most of the practices, singing songs and reading lines.

It seemed like I was at practice every night. Every night I collapsed in my bed exhausted.  But the experience was very fun. I made many new friends in the cast, people who I wouldn’t have thought I would’ve been friends. I was also introduced to all of the directors, who I  admire very much. Watching my friends act, sing and develop their characters has been so much fun.

Although practices have been fun and full of laughs, we have gotten a lot of work done. It now being show week has me very nostalgic. Even though the process of putting the show together only happened over a couple of months, it seems like forever.

Show week has consisted of five hour practices every night after school. Each night a new component has been added such as makeup,  lights, hair and the orchestra. From getting microphones set up to getting costumes changed, the show behind the scenes is just as amazing as the one on stage.

Finishing up show week has really made me reflect on my experience in this play. This has easily been one of the best experiences I’ve had during high school, and even my life. I’ve made many new friends that I wouldn’t have made otherwise, and I’ve learned many things about the world of theater. I’ve developed a skill that I didn’t even know I had, and I am so happy that I was a part of such an amazing show, all thanks to the spectacular cast and crew.

This show is not one that you’ll want to miss!