It's Friday night in the middle of
February. Snow is falling, a cold wind is blowing and I am in week two as a
high school musical awards adjudicator. I’m arriving at another high school, in
another brightly lit parking lot, scanning for a building I've never been in,
looking for the auditorium entrance.
It turns out it’s not hard to find. I follow
a group of parents and grandparents carrying huge bouquets of flowers and
balloons, no doubt, for special cast members. Once inside, everyone clamors for
the ticket table. Parents are selling flowers nearby (for those who may have
forgot them at home) candy grams, raffle tickets for the drama club (please
send us to NYC so we can see a Broadway show) and a host of delicious snacks
and baked goods. There is so much excitement in the air, and although most
people would choose to hunker down at home on a cold winter's night, with their
favorite TV show, for me, a high school musical is the BEST place to be.
During the past three months, I spent my
Fridays in numerous high school auditoriums and gym/auditoriums across New York
State. I've sat on elegant velvet seats, cushy chairs and tin folding chairs,
and yes even gym bleachers when the gym doubles as the aud. I watched more high
school musicals then I care to count. And you know what? I would do it all
again in a heartbeat. For me, late winter and early spring means spending time
with the greatest kids ever. The high school musical kids. You might call
them theater geeks. I do, but like the wonderful Lin Manuel Miranda I'm proud
to be a former theater geek kid.
I've seen some musicals that I would have
to admit needed some work. I watched kids who could barely sing to kids with
voices ready for the Met. I saw some rather basic scenery and costumes I saw some
you could call Broadway worthy, but what I saw in each and every performance,
in each and every school was a true love of theater. Every musical large or
small good or bad had one genuine element across the board. These kids love
what they are doing and they wanted to be on that stage!
I saw the smiles and squeals when they met
parents and friends after the show. I saw the proud directors hugging
them. Not everyone will win a theater award or scholarship but on my score
sheet they all won for their genuine enthusiasm.
Some of these kids will go on and pursue musical
careers. Many won't. But what they learned in their theater years will speak
volumes in the real world. They know how to present themselves, know how to
feel comfortable in a group and know disappointments and rejection. Remember
those auditions? If I were to interview a former theater kids for a job, you
bet your bottom buns I'd hire them. Theater kids are the whole package.
So everyone, enjoy your fireplace, popcorn
and Netflix on a Friday night. Let it snow. I'll just bundle up a little warmer
and hunker down in a seat next to two grandparents who proudly tell me Nathan
Detroit is their Grandson, or a crying dad who tells me his Elle Woods is going
off to one of the biggest musical theater colleges in the fall, and he's going
to miss her like heck.
Yep, just give me a good old fashioned
high school auditorium in mid winter, and I am one happy camper. Or should I
say proud card carrying theater geek kid!
