Nervousness. He remembers to pace himself. And to breathe. He walks on stage, his heart races. He thinks over his next few lines. The adrenaline rush kicks in.
“200 people watching. No big deal,” he thought.
He waits for his cue, and when it comes, he sings like Elvis.
Freshman Peregrine Belding acts for one sole reason: he loves being on stage. Whether it is a snobby superhero or a gambling ladies man, Belding loves having the ability to branch off from reality and become someone who talks, thinks and feels differently from himself.
Belding first was exposed to theatre in third grade when his mother signed him up for a children’s theatre camp called Camelot Academy, located near Rockhurst High School. Not only did they go through theatre history and basic acting skills, they memorized lines and put on small plays. While there, he saw a short play put on by the older students.
“When I saw [the older kids] acting out a scene from ‘Toy Story’ and they were able to change into Woody and Buzz Lightyear, I was pretty much stunned,” Belding said. “I knew I wanted to have that kind of talent.”
In elementary school, Belding was disappointed with the roles he got. He hated the background singers or extra roles that he played. He wanted his characters to have in-depth personalities, not just dull lines or a single pun that wasn’t that funny. Though these lead roles he wanted were tougher, Belding wanted to experience them.
“Acting is like a game or a challenge for me,” Belding said. “If there is a difficult role to play, I have to try it.”
By the time Belding reached eighth grade at Indian Hills Middle School (IHMS), he was finally suited for the type of role he always wanted. He had an uncanny trait: he was extremely coachable. Recognizing this, performance teacher Cheryl Hodges-Thrutchley made him the lead role of “Guys and Dolls”, Sky Masterson.
“I cast Peregrine in the lead at IHMS because he tried every outrageous skill I asked him to do, and wasn’t afraid of it,” Hodges-Thrutchley said.
Belding still couldn’t get enough of acting. He joined the acting group “The Barn Players” in hopes to get more stage time. In one of their major productions, “All Shook Up”, Belding had the lead male role. He played a smooth voiced character that spoofed Elvis. His smooth voice impressed reviewers such as Steve Wilson of Examiner.com.
“[Peregrine] seemed very natural in his dialogue and actions,” Wilson said in his review.
Peregrine is currently working on a lead role in a Frequent Friday musical called “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”. With only about a month left before the premiere, April 19, Belding continues to prepare for the role of the funny, self-absorbed superhero.
“Its more fun to be in a comedic role, but it’s better to be in a position where you aren’t just comic relief, because while its fun to be laughed at, I want to have more depth to my character,” Belding said.
Belding has now returned to Indian Hills Middle School, but this time, his purpose is to direct. Hodges-Thrutchley believes that Belding can help her connect to the middle school kids and help them become as fearless as Belding himself.
“…sometimes [Belding] says to my students everything that I say, but coming from Peregrine, it can sink into a young middle school student in a different way,” Hodges-Thrutchley said.
Through nine productions, Belding has gained more than just an adrenaline rush. Not only has he met most of his current friends through theatre programs, he met sophomore Asia Mundy, who is now his girlfriend. Since she is a stage worker, she gets to help Belding pick out the costumes that best suit him.
“I would not be remotely the same person I am today without acting,” said Belding.
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