Jade Awakening

First Meeting: Introductions

All week at school, I dodged boys who tried to approach me. A few of them tried to ask me out on a date, which is miles better than some of the blunt commentary that I have started to grow accustomed to, but I couldn't discern between those who were genuinely asking from those who just thought that I would be an easy lay. Since I couldn't trust any of them, I turned them all away.

It started to become second nature for me to constantly wear the same uninterested and unbothered face just to warn on-comers to not even try to speak to me. One person called it my "resting bitch face" to which I thought whatever works.

After school today, there would be a brief meeting for the entire cast and crew for Spring Awakening to make introductions and to go over scheduling. Though I was nervous, I looked forward to starting this new venture.

I made my way to the Black Box theater and sat in one of the many empty, foldable chairs. A couple other students were already here who I did not recognize. There were two girls sitting with each other: they both had dark brown hair but one was long, dark, wavy and the other was silky smooth. There was also a boy sitting by himself with shaggy, sandy hair.

It didn't take long thereafter for the rest of the students to file in. In total, there were 6 girls, including myself, and 7 boys to make up the cast. And there were a small handful of students to make up the band. There were only two people here that I recognized: the guy I auditioned with, Beck, and a geeky looking boy with dark, curly hair holding onto a puppet. Neither of them, not I spoke with anyone else, but most of the people I did not know we're mumbling amongst themselves before a teacher called for our attention.

The balding, homeless looking man stood in front of all of us and said, "Good afternoon, children! Congratulations to all of you for making it on for this semester's show. Anthony, Paul, and I had many great applicants to consider and it was difficult to decide who would make the cut. Give yourselves a hand for your outstanding auditions!"

There was scattered clapping and a couple woops.

"In a moment, we will make introductions, but before we do, I need to stress to you all the weight of this show. And the responsibility you all must take."

I needed this show to prove my worth, so I decided I would do whatever it takes to do it justice. So I listened to the teacher -- I believe his name was Sikowitz -- intently.

"For those of you who are familiar with Spring Awakening, you already know that this show touches on many dark, and sometimes disturbing, themes. There is sexuality, abuse, suicide, and religious trauma. For any other high school, this would be too heavy for actual teenagers to play. You all, however, are aspiring actors. Therefore, I expect that all of you have the maturity to handle and appreciate this great play."

"Does that mean we get to say the curse words that they use?" one boy asked.

"Yes," answered Sikowitz, "we will stick to the original text as much as we can. However, we will draw the line at nudity. For those who know the show, you may recall that there is a scene where the leading lady's breasts are exposed. We will not subject any minor to this indecency."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," a boy behind me snickered. I pretended as though I didn't hear it. Maybe I should have done some research on this show afterall.

One girl with caramel skin and curly hair stood up now to ask a question.

"If this is such a mature show, then why are there three freshmen playing leading characters? Why not let the juniors and seniors have those parts?"

I felt attacked, but of course I understood her frustration. It still didn't quite make sense to me either how I earned the lead role, so I hoped Sikowitz would answer her question honestly.

"That's a fair question, Elise. We all know that practice makes us better, right? So naturally, we assume that older students, such as yourself, who have had a couple more years to learn this craft will be better suited for bigger roles. But, seniority does not guarantee good roles -- we can't just hand out parts to students just because they have been here longer. The three freshmen in this room are here because they simply had the best, raw auditions. In fact, if you all would like, as we introduce ourselves, I will read you the notes we jotted down for each of you and why we chose you for your role."

Yes! I screamed internally. Everyone else was shaking their heads in agreement, too.

"Right then! Let's start with our cast," he pointed a finger toward me, "introduce yourself, the grade you're in, and the character you'll be playing."

"Um, I'm Jade -- Jade West. I'm a freshman, and I will be playing Wendla."

"Fabulous. Now," he pulled his notepad from his satchel laying on the ground. "Jade. You were not originally auditioning for the role of Wendla, yes?"

"Yes," I answered. A couple girls murmured, clearly not happy. I could practically hear them thinking if she didn't even audition for that part, why did she get it?

"Well, when you sang the show's song, 'Whispering,' all three of us teachers got the sense that the words really resonated with you -- that you understood the song on a deeper level than most children would. Yes, you hit all the notes and sounded lovely, but what makes the performance memorable is the sincerity felt in what you sing. So I changed the rest of your audition to see how you would handle a scene that also had more depth to it. That's when we pulled in- well, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself first as well?"

Sikowitz motioned to the boy to speak now.

"I'm Beck Oliver. I'm also a freshman, and I will be playing Melchior."

"Marvelous. When we had you act opposite Beck, the two of you nailed the friction of the scene. The girl is supposed to feel conflicted, nervous -- she's unsure of what she's about to get herself into and doesn't quite trust the boy. The decision you made to dodge his kiss was brilliant; it really added something to the tension of the scene. And then you, Beck, perfectly played the part of the boy who is supposed to be unwavering. He has no question for what is about to take place and does not share the girl's anxieties. But then he calms her, makes her see that they can trust each other. The two of you were so natural with each other, that this casting choice was the only one that made sense."

Hearing such high compliments from an acting teacher made my heart swell. I couldn't help but grin to myself and hang onto his words. A tiny part of me still thought that I was a bit of an imposter though -- everything that he credited to being a smart choice of mine weren't really choices. I wasn't 'acting' when I felt the words of the song or shied away from Beck's kiss.

I tried to not talk myself down too much, though. Maybe I did earn my role.

After Sikowitz addressed Beck and I, he went through the rest of the students. A few of the girls would be playing my friends, a few of the boys would be playing Beck's schoolmates, and two others would be playing various adult roles such as mothers or professors. The third freshman turned out to be Robbie Shapiro.

"Hi, I'm Robbie," he said, "I am a freshman, and I will be playing Moritz."

"They should have cast you to play Moron," his puppet teased. Is he a ventriloquist?

"Always a delight, Rex," Sikowitz said to the puppet. "Robbie, your character, Moritz, is an awkward boy with weird hair. You nailed your audition before it even happened."

"Ha!" Rex cackled.

"Now onto the band -- introduce yourselves!"

There weren't many in the band. Just a person per keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, and drums. It turned out that there was one freshman in there as well: a boy named Andre Harris would be playing the guitar.

"I think that's everybody! Before you all leave, I need everyone to take a copy of the script and schedule for the rest of the semester. We will rehearse three times a week after school here in the Black Box. Have a great weekend you all!"

Holding onto a coconut, he passed out a script and schedule to each cast member. Some students already started making their way out the door as soon as they got them. I, however, was glued to my position. My eyes were fixated on the script that was now in my hands. I could not wait to get started.