My First Acting Experience
Kinda funny story about the first time I ever "tread the boards" as the kids are fond of saying...
In high school I got cast in the Senior Play as the part of a Swedish con artist who is a witness in a murder trial. Don't ask me how they got the Swedish part as it didn't seem to have anything to do with anything. I was both thrilled and terrified to be performing in school.
I've wanted to act and do standup ever since I was about 10 years old but never thought I would actually get the guts to give it a go. This was my first foray into that.
We spend weeks rehearsing and the play is getting tighter and tighter. I marvelled at my classmates who played the Prosecutor and the Defending Attorney as they had literally pages and pages of dialogue to memorize. I had a few pages but I was pretty much in and out of the play. The director informed us that if, at any time, we forgot our lines or froze up that we should say "LINE" as subtle as possible and someone in the wings would feed us the line. Simple enough.
It's the night of the play and the place is PACKED. Parents, teachers and students (the latter who I have to believe attended for the sheer "train wreck" possibilities such a production can entail) all huddled into the main auditorium. The play goes off pretty much without a hitch and then it's my turn to take the stand, all decked out in a suit and glasses (and greyed temples, because what would a Swedish con man be without those Reed Richard looking white temples).
The Prosecutor starts in and goes on for close to two minutes throwing charges at me:
"Didn't you..." and "Weren't you...." and "Isn't it true that..."
And I'm terrified. I know it's coming to the part where I'm going to have to respond and I have no idea what I'm supposed to say.
"And didn't you sir....."
Here it comes...I'm drawing a blank...shit....I've got nothing...I need help...
"LINE"
And from the wings of the stage comes the faintest whisper, informing me of the dialogue that my brain refused to recall...
"Yes."
I've gotten better since.
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