So as most people who know me know, this past fall I assistant directed the play at my high school. It was such an amazing experience and looking back I'm really sad I didn't write about it more. However, something occurred after one of the performances that resonated in me so much that I literally came home and felt like I would burst if I didn't write about it. It was one of those things you can't bury or forget, you have to express it because it was so personal and beautiful.
That said, this is probably really cheesy and that's okay, but this is just the first version of what I had to get out about my experience. I've just let it sit since then really because I didn't know if I wanted people to see it, but I went to see the winter play tonight and it echoed this same feeling so I thought I'd share it.
[but really.... it's not written all that well, don't judge too harshly if even in your minds lol]
On Thursday night I had a moment. You know, one of those moments when time pauses for the briefest of seconds, and you silently inventory the things around you, and you think to yourself, "this is it. this is happiness. this is fulfillment. this is peace." Ya know, one of those moments.
The moment caught me by surprise, as most of those moments do, when one Caleb Metcalf ran into the auditorium from offstage-right, down the platforms, jumped over the orchestra pit, and tackled Purdy in a hug. He then pulled away, seemed to let a sigh of contentment, and his mouth spread into the biggest, purest, most genuine and enormous smile I have ever seen on his face. I'm not sure that he was aware of his expression, but I caught it. In that smile, and in his eyes, was the most pure gift a teacher can receive.
Let me pause to elaborate. Rewind to the day of the initial audition. The Westminster auditorium is filled with students, excited and nervous to try out for their first attempt at Shakespeare. Calling students up in pairs, Ms. Purdy and I sat in the middle row, making notes and preliminary decisions. Auditions were going surprisingly well, the students rising to the challenge of the Bard's dialogue. The next pair took the stage, and began the scene. My mind went blank in awe. I turned to Purdy, "what is that boy's name?" Caleb Metcalf. Sophomore. WHS theater newcomer. In that moment, before I knew him and before he even finished the read-through, he was already cast in my mind. I knew he was a young lover. Whether Demetrius or Lysander I wasn't sure it mattered, but I was bound and determined that all of my pull as Assistant Director would go to getting him one of those parts. The next day's callbacks proved my first impression and Purdy and I knew he was our Lysander.
Throughout the show, Caleb remained quiet. He was dedicated, focused, and, I believe, a bit intimidated by his senior cast-mates. Purdy and I were more impressed than surprised that he was the first to be completely off-book, and not just days, but weeks before the rest of the cast, some with smaller parts and more experience. While certainly talented and a pleasure to have in rehearsal, Caleb was still quiet, a hard shell to crack. We could never quite figure him out. Out of character, his face does not display much emotion, his tone very level, and his humor undiscovered. The most I'd spied of Caleb while the rest of the cast goofed off and joked was a small, slightly raised smile. Nothing more. As I tried to develop relationships with most of the cast, Caleb became somewhat of a stumbling block. I could not figure this boy out. The cast held every type of personality with every type of humor, yet most of what came from Caleb was stoic, serious, sarcastic on a good day, humor. His dry wit and his reservation to join in when breaking character made him seem so serious, and I had no idea how to approach joking around with him.
One day in rehearsal, during the scene in which all four young lovers are quarreling, hilarity broke out, as per usual. While jokes were cracked that caused even myself and Purdy to pause and laugh, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a smile and my ears caught a hint of something unfamiliar. I almost couldn't believe it. Caleb was laughing. Not just smiling, but laughing. The SOUND of laughter coming from his mouth, the glint of laughter shining in his eyes. I pointed this out and an even greater collective laugh was given by the rest of us. We had finally gotten him to feel comfortable and at ease enough to do something as simple as laugh during his time with us. From then on, Caleb was usually a part of the joke, really joining in, allowing his personality to emerge. For a while he had been taken under Ben's wing. Ben is a senior, his character rival, and one of the funniest bastard's you'll ever meet. While I joked with Purdy that this could lead to trouble, aka another Ben, we were both so pleased. Through Caleb, I was getting a glimpse of what teachers are always saying about how the money sucks, but the rewards are incredible.
Seeing Caleb's smile thursday night was like pressing rewind. I could see on his face every emotion I'd felt my first fall show. The end of opening night is such a rush, such an accomplishment. The adrenaline and the stage lights make you feel like your soul is infinite and your possibilities are endless. The confidence you gain in those moments are priceless. You believe in yourself, in your talent, in your options, in your goals. I've often missed that rush of excitement and drive after a show. And being on the other side of a production for the first time, I was blindsided by how much sweeter it tastes seeing something that made you so happy manifest itself in a student you have seen grow and blossom throughout your time with him. The rewards of the past three nights far outweigh every minute of rehearsals I didn't want to attend, every poke of a needle while sewing costumes, every stress dream in Shakespearean dialect, and every second of worry and anxiety put into the show. The entire cast of 26, smiling and laughing, feeling so accomplished and elated, it made my heart want to melt. Every bit of what helping those kids has made me feel was simplified, condensed, and put into it's purest form and intensified, the moment I saw Caleb dash out from behind the curtain and finish with the kind of smile I know he felt from within his heart to the entirety of the auditorium.
No comments:
Post a Comment