In the Spring of 1994, my senior year of high school, our Drama department put on a play. This was no ordinary play, this was The Spirit of Theater, a medley of 21 shows our teacher and mentor, Mrs. DeGregory, had directed over her years with our school. As she was retiring and my friends and I were graduating, this show meant something to us all.
I had been given the role of Student Director, working to maintain the chaos that would come with so many scene changes and so many cast members, many of them under the age of listening to direction. Mrs. DeGregory had also brought back a few of her former students to reprise their former characters, including one girl (woman by then) who was to take on five different roles.
I kept track of every actor and actress, when they were supposed to be on stage, when they weren't and were just goofing off during rehearsals, and worked hand in hand with the stage manager, a friend of mine who was prone to yelling when frustrated, to keep everything running smoothly and keep our director happy.
I had a few bit roles here and there, but nothing major. The two months of rehearsals went swimmingly, the graduates coming the last week to join the undergrads for run throughs. The show would be great.
I got called into Mrs. D's office the day of our opening performance. She looked at me with stern eyes. (Not uncommon as she wasn't known for smiling often.) "We have a problem."
My pulse jumped. She had a problem with me? What did I do? What didn't I do? My mind raced with the options of something I may have forgotten. "What's the problem?"
"Leah pulled out."
An alumni. Who had five roles throughout the performance. And no understudy. (Mrs. DeGregoy didn't believe in understudies.) The show would seriously stumble without the scenes Leah was supposed to carry.
"What do we do?"
"I need you to do it."
Me? What about running the cast and making sure they hit their marks? What about keeping the students away from the stage manager when he and the techies were trying to move sets? (As I said, he was a real bitch when pushed.) (Yeah, I meant bitch. No typo there.)
"Do you know her lines?"
I stammered as I recalled the different costume changes I would have to undergo. Oh, what about costumes? "Y-yes."
"You have two hours to find costumes for all the scenes and get to make up. Curtain up at seven-thirty."
"Mrs. D, I don't know-"
She leaned in close and stared me down. (She was quite good at intimidation.) "You will do it. And you will do it well. You are going to save my show." Stepping back, she turned to her planner, dismissing me. "Now go find your costumes."
I ran out to my car, clutching my keys in one hand and the script in the other, on the brink of tears from the thrill at being sought out to take on such a challenge and the lung clenching fear that I would screw it up completely. (High school students. So dramatic, no?)
It took minutes to get home as we lived so close to the school, running inside to yell the turn of events to my mother (No readily available cell phones back then. Remember when news had to wait until you were both in a stationary area?) was a blur as I ransacked her closet looking for clothes, long skirts to dress an older woman who would be planning a murder in a scene of Arsenic and Lace. Once she knew the gist, she created a bigger mess than I did, yanking blouses from the hangers.
My bundle of cotton in my arms, I rushed back to the school, chanting my lines over and over, hoping the confidence would somehow seep in with each word, yet the only thing rising was my nerves.
Time sped by as the big fantasy I had harbored for most of my adolescent years was slapping me in the face. I was going to fail. In my dreams, I had succeeded. Now, I didn't see a happy ending.
Make up on, standing offstage left, watching in silence as the other cast members squealed in excitement and nervous energy, I couldn't assume the director status and hush them, only wincing when the stage manager came over to yell at them for just being themselves.
He whirled away from the now mute Oklahoma! dancers, set his sights on me, and winked in support before bellowing "Five minutes!" and running off to kill someone else's buzz.
The house lights dimmed out. Backstage noise fell to its death. My heart beat loudly as I whispered a hasty last prayer to Thespis, as if that would save my ass. No turning back now.
The curtain opened.
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It's all about me! Or you!
Blogging Mama Andrea over at Blogging Mama
Life's Ups and Downs...and My Place in it All
Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole
Pseudo over at Pseudonymous High School Teacher
Suzicate over at The Water Witch's Daughter
Gretchen over at Second Blooming
Kendra over at Life In the Slow Lane
The South Dakota Cowgirl over at the south dakota cowgirl
Heather over at Welch Happenings
Elle Em En over at Try All of Column B -New to the Spin Cycle!
Erin over at The Locals Love It
Arwen over at Spors in the Desert -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
Joanie over at Joanie's Random Rambling -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
Pines Lake Redhead over at Pines Lake Redhead -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
Lisa over at Boondock Ramblings -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
Ellie Belen over at Distracting Minutia -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
Patty over at Pancakes Gone Awry -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
Erin over at Only a Movie -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!
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Next week's Spin Cycle Assignment: Best Of..
It's that time again! Look in your archives and find that post that just makes you smile. That post that you keep coming back to and reading over and over.
We're looking for your favorites, old, new, whatever! Just re-post it and link it to the Spin Cycle!
Easiest Spin Cycle ever, right? Or is it?
Love this! This was another story I never got to hear the end of due to being distracted by my children, so I'm happy that I finally did!
Posted by: Rachel | March 26, 2010 at 04:44 AM
Oh, okay - be that way. Don't tell us how completely AWESOME you were.
Posted by: Jan | March 26, 2010 at 05:51 AM
What a great story.
http://desertspor.blogspot.com/2010/03/me-me-me.html
Posted by: Arwen | March 26, 2010 at 06:48 AM
Fantastic story!
My Spin is up but I cheated a little this week.
http://pineslakeredhead.blogspot.com/2010/03/spin-cycle-all-about-me.html
Posted by: Erica@PinesLakeRedhead | March 26, 2010 at 07:28 AM
What happened!!!!!! You can't leave it there! Our SM was wonderful, but once I heard her scream at some backstage crew I knew I didn't want to get on her bad side!
Posted by: PippaD @ A Mothers Ramblings | March 26, 2010 at 08:22 AM
I posted one last night. I'm not sure if you got it, but here's my link again.
http://joanies-random-rambling.blogspot.com/2010/03/spin-cycle-finally-its-all-about-me.html
Posted by: Joanie M @ Joanie's Random Ramblings | March 26, 2010 at 08:43 AM
Oops! I forgot to tell you that was a great spin! My girls were both in the Drama Club in high school (Gina was president her senior year and Dani was treasurer when she was a senior). One earned her degree in theatre and one is in the process of earning her degree in theatre! See? Two drama queens with degrees to prove it!
Posted by: Joanie M @ Joanie's Random Ramblings | March 26, 2010 at 08:46 AM
Great story, love your Spin. And Act II?
Posted by: Suzicate | March 26, 2010 at 08:47 AM
Um....I'm sorry, but where is the rest of your post? You can't leave us hanging like that. . . I mean...who do you think you are? A blogger with the talent to have us coming back for more?! I dislike you greatly right now.
Mine is up today too.
http://tinyurl.com/yj3afml
Posted by: Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings | March 26, 2010 at 08:57 AM
This reminds me of when I was in "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up". Our director decided to leave about two thirds of the way through rehearsals. At that point the entire cast just picked up the ball and directed ourselves (The show must go on).
Thanks for sharing,
Posted by: CaJoh | March 26, 2010 at 09:12 AM
Wait! You can't leave us hanging like that. Totally unfair. Seriously. Sheesh...
Posted by: Patty | March 26, 2010 at 09:38 AM
OK, so did you soar or crash and burn? Don't leave us hanging that way.
My spin is up:
http://tttandme.blogspot.com/2010/03/spin-cycle-all-about-me.html
Posted by: VandyJ | March 26, 2010 at 09:42 AM
You killed, didn't you? I know you did. Now...I'm sure there are photos somewhere...
Posted by: mrsbear | March 26, 2010 at 10:01 AM
Dude!!! You can't just leave us hanging like that! What happened? Tell us!!!
Posted by: Charity | March 26, 2010 at 10:04 AM
Are you kidding me? You can't do that to me on a Friday. Now what??? You kicked ass didn't you!
Posted by: Erin@TheLocalsLoveIt | March 26, 2010 at 10:12 AM
Part Deux? I got to the edge of my seat, and then fell off. Not fair.
Here's my spin, on the last day as usual.
http://distractingminutia.blogspot.com/2010/03/will-real-me-please-stand-up-please.html
Posted by: Ellie Belen | March 26, 2010 at 11:09 AM
And the rest of the story??? You can't leave us hanging! puh puh puh leeze???
Posted by: Peg | March 26, 2010 at 12:33 PM
Man, that's like a cliffhanger at the end of a good season of TV! Boo! Don't leave us hanging!!! Great spin!
Posted by: jennifer ozuna | March 26, 2010 at 01:18 PM
That's not a cliffhanger, people. You're supposed to assume she was marvelous and wonderful, as we all know Sprite's Keeper is!
Anyhoodle, I have a spin, but Blogger is preventing me from getting to my blog today. Hopefully when I get home I can get it up! I'm not bailing again, I promise.
Posted by: Mama Badger | March 26, 2010 at 03:35 PM
I finally did my spin. Just under the wire, huh?
http://pancakesgoneawry.blogspot.com/2010/03/but-enough-about-me.html
Thanks!
Posted by: Patty | March 26, 2010 at 04:24 PM
Cool story, Jen! Just love it... so you'll do a Part 2, right?
I jumped in this week: http://dontworryitsonlyamovie.blogspot.com/2010/03/undefined.html
Posted by: Erin | March 26, 2010 at 05:00 PM
awesome.
as usual.
Posted by: vodkamom | March 26, 2010 at 07:12 PM
Loved the story and was all into it...What Happened???
Well You already know about my nerves. I tanked, each time!
Posted by: Heather | March 27, 2010 at 12:26 PM
Ah, what a wonderful story Jen. Do you have video? I think you should post it. Really really.
Posted by: Pseudo | March 27, 2010 at 06:49 PM
I was breathless reading this post! Now I have to find out what happened!
My spin is http://meowmie.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/its-all-about-me/.
Here's my link for the coming week best of. http://meowmie.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/never-a-dull-moment/ Well, sort of best of. I have a few posts that I really like which is a huge admission for me because I rarely like my own writing. (What's up with that? Some dumb thing about not being able to praise or appraise one's own work? A mystery.)
Posted by: Meowmie | March 28, 2010 at 09:05 PM