Blackout. The murmur of nervous voices, the humming of the orchestra’s fine tuning, the crackle of the clear COM, I signal to the operator on my right; I close my eyes and begin to count. 3,2, 1, I open my eyes. Lights Up! Go!
No bones about it: calling a show is a satisfying and adrenaline filled experience. It’s a humongous challenge, and I love rising to it. Most people don’t know what a stage manager is, but if you’ve ever been to the theatre I bet you have felt our presence. As a stage manager, I am the liaison between the front of house, the actors, and the technical crew. I say: lights up, stand by, break a leg, open house, and take five. I adapt quickly as I switch from calling cues, to fixing props, and mending torn costumes. I’m forced to think on my feet: making safety pins out of hair clips, and an iron
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I received this “honor” only after discovering I didn’t make the cast for the show. Although I felt a bit defeated, I decided to enter this new position with as much positivity as possible. The first day of rehearsal I walked into our performing arts center not sure what exactly I had gotten myself into. Two hours later I had become best friends with the copy machine and had enough paper cuts to last me a lifetime. I was exhausted and felt that had accomplished almost nothing. I left school that day knowing only one thing; I hate being a stage manager. Over the course of two and a half months my hatred quickly turned into love, and eventually into a passion. Though the job featured a lot of paperwork, it also featured the excitement of opening nights, calling shows, problem-solving, and becoming a leader. Throughout the process of the show, I started to gain more and more responsibility, my peers and even the upperclassmen were looking at me to be a leader. I was terrified to carry so much weight on my shoulder, but I was also excited for the chance to prove that I
Fundamentals of Fashion And Their Reflection In “The Next Black” Aaliya Gujral Unquestionably clothes are a prominent part of our lives. They help us express who we are and often represent our sex, occupation, age and social standing. Clothing has been used by humans for thousands of years, and comes in a variety of forms. It has evolved throughout the course of history to include more fabrics, patterns, styles and designs.
The deafening roar from the crowd filled my ears, as it had done so many times before. I reached down, picked up my ear pieces lying across my shoulders, and placed one in each ear. As the stagehand passed me the mic, my pulse quickened. Standing on the platform beneath the stage, waiting for it to rise, my shoulders tightened. Fourteen years, performing on stages around the world hadn't banished my pre-show jitters.
Upstage is back, downstage is front, right is left, left is right, out is up, break a leg but don't really, wings have nothing to do with birds, the catwalk doesn’t involve cats, and when the stage manager says move it means move. The theatre vocabulary is very confusing for the outside world, but for me it is my second language. More specifically, I have developed a passion for the technical elements of theatre over the years. The joy of being the “people in black” that can make amazing sets and produce incredible plays which goes unnoticed.. Although this discourse is much small yet complex it has helped me find out who I am but also in my academic skills through learning how to work in teams, solve problems independently but also how to be
Routine A disturbance in a Tuesday morning routine was a change of a lifetime: my brief car-ride nap was interrupted by a crash, then, the jarring of the ambulance. It was an unexpected awakening. Sixth grade social studies and spelling tests had to be put aside, as the rest of my day would be filled with the beeps of machines and chatter of scrub-clad trauma nurses. Suddenly, my mind was back in my body - and my first conscious words were my complaints of the uncomfortable neck brace, followed by my request to remove it.
Jane Goodall once said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” For being a member in the National Honor Society, you are required to make choices involving the four pillars representing the activity itself; scholarship, service, leadership, and even character. Like Goodall says, you have the power to make anything happen, but it is your gift to be able to choose what you will produce. If anyone is being honest, it is a privilege to qualify for such an inspirational activity. Being a part of The National Honor Society requires you to encompass scholarship, service and character which I tend to often demonstrate and constantly strive for.
My Greatest Accomplishment A truly great accomplishment is something that lasts and requires determination and extensive effort. For me, making the Texas Small School All-State Mixed Choir was my biggest accomplishment because it opened me up to new passions, taught me how to work hard, and set me on the path I am on today. In my sophomore year, I joined choir simply to get my fine arts credit out of the way.