Author Spotlight
“Social life? What’s that?”
Freshman Bridgette Beasley, Madison Stottle, Maddie Roberts and Georgia Dubois don’t exactly have what most people would call a normal social life. While most girls would be at the movies or hanging at someone’s house on a Friday night, these girls don’t have that kind of time to spare.
Thanks to their theater schedules, these girls’ days consist solely of school, practicing dance steps or running lines with their castmates and sleeping for five to six hours after finishing multiple math worksheets and French homework. Sometimes they even have to leave school early during first hour and arrive for the last few minutes of seventh for daytime shows, adding even more to the accumulating pile of work on their desks.
This week I got to see a little further into their lives and learn more about them, the way theater has changed their lives, and what they plan to do in the future.
How stressed do you guys get with your theatre schedule?
Beasley: I don’t really get stressed until show week. I mean it’s kind of hard to keep up with homework, but really when show week hits, that’s when you have like the week-long of rehearsals that go to like eleven or twelve at night. They usually start right after school. And then that’s when you have to do all the make up and costuming and stuff. So you really don’t have time like going there to do homework, and so that’s usually when I fall behind on stuff.
Roberts: And you just don’t have time because you’re on stage all the time, or you’re getting notes or running lines or something. So it’s probably show week. That’s when I stress out the most.
Dubois: I think I actually stress out more during rehearsals, just because show weeks are like so busy, there’s like no time to be stressed. But during rehearsals, you’re there so much and you’re trying to impress the directors, because you want them to want you back, and you want to put a good name out there for yourself. So I just sort of get stressed with my reputation to make sure that I’m like on top of things, and always ready to go.
Stottle: Well, it depends on where I am. If I’m at TITP (Theater In the Park), I’m the happiest little girl in the world–so at home, so comfortable. If I’m at Starlight, I feel like I’m being judged constantly. And if I’m at MYTP (Music Theater for Young People) it’s just nerve-racking to be…it’s one thing to be compared against yourself, but some auditions, when you go in there and everyone sings openly in front of the rest of the crew, that’s when you’re compared against others.
How do your relationships with casts grow throughout the production process?
Roberts: It grows a lot, especially during show week, because you’re with them 24/7.
Beasley: They basically become your family. It’s just like you are surrounded by people who you spend basically your past month, two months, whatever. So you know them deeply and they’re always there for you.
Dubois: I think that theatre is like the most intimate job you can have, because you put everything on the line. They see everything about you. It’s really special.
Stottle: I think that there are times in your life when your friends at school fail you.
Roberts: Amen.
Stottle: I don’t understand why people don’t have theater friends and make it. I don’t know what I would do without mine.
Beasley: I’ve made my best friends through theater.
Stottle: You turn to them for literally everything that you know your friends at school wouldn’t be able to handle because theater kids just aren’t judgemental.
Beasley: Theater kids are all about drama, so if you have drama then they’ll understand because…well we’re drama people!
Do you do anything individually to prepare yourself before each show?
Beasley: I’m a Christian, so I always pray before my performance, just to be sure it goes well and then I also try not to think about it too much. I mean I try to have as much fun with my friends, and to enjoy it, because I mean it passes so fast.
Dubois: I just run lines and run notes before. I just sort of calm down.
Have you ever been rejected for a part?
Stottle: I feel like the only word you hear now is “no.”
Beasley: I remember the first time I wasn’t cast in a show. It was the second show I ever tried out for. I was in like the fifth grade. But it was so traumatic. I mean you get over it, but it’s heartbreaking if you don’t get in, or you totally thought that part was yours or something, and it just is hard when you see somebody else get it. Eventually you realize that they were probably way better for the part than you, but still, it’s very heartbreaking.
Dubois: I hate realizing that they’re so good and you think ‘why do they have to be so amazing?’
Stottle: It pushes you to though. Talented people just make you so…inspired.
How does your theatre schedule conflict with your social life?
Beasley: It becomes your social life.
Dubois: Your theater group is your family. So you get to hang out with them but, at the same time it’s like you do want to do other stuff too.
Beasley: When I was in Aladdin over the fall, I wasn’t able to go to any football games, because I always had rehearsals on football game days. So it comes to a point where you have to decide whether you really want to dedicate yourself to this or if you wanna have a social life and go to football games, and Homecoming… But I realized that the show comes first. Every time I’m cast in a show, I’ve made a commitment to dedicate my life to that show for however long it’s running.
Dubois: I didn’t go to WPA. I was so sleep-deprived anyways, and I needed the energy, so I didn’t do anything.
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