writewhatyoulove102-blog - Tumblr blog

writewhatyoulove102-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Papa

FADE IN:

INT. JANE’S HOUSE- DAY

JANE, a 30-year-old mom, is setting the dining table.

JANE

Casey, it’s time for dinner! Go wash

your hands and help me set the table.

CASEY, a 9-year-old girl, scrambles to put her toys away and goes to the bathroom to wash her hands. She stares at her reflection, spots her doll SALLY, giggles, and starts chattering with it.

CASEY

No, Mommy wouldn’t want that. No.

I have to go now. Yes, later. Yes, I promise.

Casey heads downstairs and helps her mom finish setting the table.

JANE

Guess what we’re having tonight?

It’s your favorite dish!

CASEY

Spaghetti and meatballs!?

JANE

Yes! And garlic bread too!

CASEY

Yay! Thank you, Mommy! You’re the best.

After I’m done, can I go outside and play?

JANE

Only if you promise me that you won’t

go wandering off like the other day.

CASEY

I promise. Can I take my dolls outside too?

JANE

I don’t see why not. Just be careful with them.

You don’t want their clothes to get all dirty.

Casey quickly finishes her dinner and grabs her dolls to go outside. Jane watches her play on the table in the backyard. Jane looks away for a second, and when she looks back Casey is gone.

JANE (worried)

Casey? Casey, where did you go?

Jane walks outside and searches for Casey.

EXT. BACKYARD- DAY

JANE

Casey? Casey, this isn’t funny!

If you don’t come out right now,

I am going to ground you. Casey!

Giggles are heard from behind the bushes near the pond. Jane runs towards them and looks behind them. Suddenly, Casey is standing behind Jane.

CASEY

What are you looking for, Mommy?

JANE (startled)

Casey! How did you…where were you?

What did I tell you earlier?

CASEY (innocently)

I’m sorry. I was just following Sally.

JANE (perplexed)

Who’s Sally?

CASEY

My doll, Sally.

Casey holds up a porcelain doll with dark black hair and familiar glowing green eyes. The doll is wearing a beautiful blue dress and white gloves. Its eyes give Jane a menacing stare.

JANE (shocked)

Where did you find that?

CASEY

You left her on my bed.

JANE (perplexed)

I don’t think I did. Ahhh…But don’t go

wandering off like that. Promise me you

won’t do it again?

CASEY

I promise, Mommy.

They head back into the house. Casey goes to her room upstairs while Jane leans on the wall, looking disturbed. Jane hears a loud thud from upstairs.

JANE (yells)

Is everything alright?

Jane scurries up the stairs into Casey’s room. Casey is sitting on the floor with her doll on her lap. The lamp from the ceiling is shattered on the floor a few inches from Casey.

JANE

Oh my God, are you alright?

What happened?

Jane picks up Casey.

CASEY (screaming)

Let me go! Put me down!

Leave, Mommy! Leave me alone!

JANE

Casey! Are you hurt?

Casey bites into Jane’s arm and blood starts to ooze out.

JANE

Ouch! Casey! Casey!?

Casey releases herself from Jane’s grip, runs out of the room, and leaves Sally behind.

JANE (yelling)

You! You! Why did you come back? Why?

I thought I was done with you.

You already took everything I had.

SALLY (teasing)

You didn’t think you could get rid of me

that easily, did you? I haven’t

taken everything…yet.

JANE

Why? What do you still have against me?

SALLY

You saw it happen, and you just ran off.

I thought you were my friend!

You saw me get assaulted by my dad,

and there you went sprinting out of

my house... not even a call for help.

But you left your stupid little doll at

my house, just like you left me.

JANE

I am so sorry. You know that.

I was too young and scared!

SALLY

Weeks passed and then I could no longer

handle the pain, so I decided to end it once

and for all. But of course I couldn’t rest

until you suffered as I did. My soul

latched on to your dumb doll so I could

avenge myself. I knew you carried her

everywhere. Now, you would carry me

everywhere. You found me on your doorstep

one day, and took me back into your life.

Something you never did when I was alive.

You never even talked to me again after my dad-

JANE (anxious)

I know! I know! You've told me all this before!

Do you know how many times I've laid

in bed and have regretted what I did and

didn’t do? I lay in bed tormented with these

memories! I know I fucked up, okay? I know!

SALLY

Well that doesn’t change anything! Besides,

you don’t seem to be too tormented. You

seem like you’re living the good life if you

ask me. You have a daughter that loves and

adores you. So happy she is, and you…

But that’s going to change.

JANE

But you’ve already avenged yourself

by making me go through the same

fate as you with my dad!

And with Tom too!

SALLY

That’s not enough! Don’t you get it?

You’re not allowed to move on and be happy again.

You don't even think about me anymore.

Forgot about me, your favorite doll, not even

my birthday did you remember ...but I

haven't forgotten about you. Oh no... in fact,

it’s my job to haunt and torture you until you rot.

And if that means hurting Casey in order

to see you suffer, well then that’s what I’ll do.

JANE

Your birthday? Is that why you're doing

this to me again? Because I forgot-

SALLY (angrily)

Do you have any idea how terrible it

feels to be forgotten? Especially after

everything I've been through? I never had

your compassion when I was alive, and it's even

worse now that I'm dead.

JANE (sobbing)

Sally! I was too afraid to talk to you again

when that happened to you. I knew you would

be upset with me for leaving you. I was too young to know

any better. And how can I have compassion for you now?

You somehow made me get raped too! Twice!

You just expect me to feel compassion for you after that?!

Of course I did everything to forget about you.

I had to move on from my past. This year,

I've finally been able to. I won't allow

you to ruin me again.

SALLY (mocking)

Ha! Well it’s too late now. Casey no longer loves you.

Besides, I’ve already convinced her to go see

her father. Oh, how you held on to me for protection.

Little did you know I was the cause of your suffering.

How ironic, isn’t it? Well, guess who else

will be doing that today?

JANE

I won’t let you do this!

The doll vanishes instantly. Jane hears scratching on the walls from her room, and rushes towards it.

JANE

Casey? Is that you?

Jane sees Casey writing on the wall vigorously. There’s pictures of a man’s face. “Papa” is written everywhere. There’s a picture of a little girl holding the man’s hand. There’s drawings of Jane with her face crossed out.

JANE

Casey, please stop this.

Casey snap out of it, Casey!

Casey pushes off Jane with unbelievable force. Her eyes are glowing green. Jane reaches for Casey and vigorously shakes her.

JANE

Casey please snap out of it! Casey!

CASEY

Let go of me! I don’t like you.

JANE

Please, Casey.

CASEY

I like Papa better than you.

JANE

But you never even met him-

CASEY

He actually loves me, unlike you!

JANE

Stop it, Casey. You don’t know what you’re saying!

CASEY

You disgust me!

Jane slaps Casey, but immediately regrets it. Casey’s eyes are no longer green and glowing.

CASEY

Did..did you just slap me?

JANE

No! I didn’t mean to! I’m so-

CASEY

No get away from me, Mommy! I hate you!

Casey runs out of the room, but the doll reappears.

SALLY (mocking)

Ha! See what I did here. Oh, but just wait.

This is only the beginning.

Sally vanishes again. Jane runs after Casey, but once she reaches her, she’s already repossessed by the doll and sprinting out the front door.

JANE (sobbing)

No…no no. Not again!

Casey! Please Casey, come back!

Don’t go with him. Stupid doll! Stupid doll!!!

Jane runs after Casey.

INT. TOM’S APARTMENT- NIGHT

TOM, Jane’s ex-husband, is casually cleaning his gun before bed when Casey knocks on the door. He quickly shoves the gun in his pocket and welcomes Casey with a big hug. Casey sits down on his couch. Casey’s eyes are no longer green and glowing, and she is a little disoriented.

TOM

What are you doing here? Oh, how I’ve

missed you! You’re looking very

pretty, sweetie.

CASEY

I’m not really sure how I got here

…but Sally has talked a lot about you, Papa.

And thank you!

TOM (puzzled)

Sally?

CASEY

My doll! Look!

TOM

She’s very beautiful…just like you.

CASEY

She told me I should visit you, Papa.

TOM

Did she now? Well I’m starting to like

Sally now. She actually looks just like a

doll your momma always carried around.

Same name and everything, I believe. How

innocent she was. How innocent you are…

CASEY

She gave her to me. Left her on my bed.

TOM

Hmm…I’ll tell you what. If you move in with me,

I can give you all the toys in the world.

I really do miss you, sweetie. It’s not

fair that your momma got to keep you.

CASEY

Well...I don't like Mommy so much

right now. But, I don’t know if I can…

TOM

C’mon. We can play house and you can

be the mom…and I can play dad.

CASEY

I really do want to. I just don’t know…

maybe I can visit you-

TOM (irritated)

NO! I mean…that’s no fun…we can spend so

much more time together if you

moved in with me.

CASEY

Well-

TOM

I can braid your hair, and buy you lots

of dresses. You’ll twirl around in them

and look so pretty… so innocent.

CASEY

That does sound nice, but-

TOM (annoyed)

BUT WHAT? Do you not love your Papa?

CASEY (startled)

Yes, well... I don’t really know you-

TOM

I can show you who Papa is.

CASEY (confused)

Umm...

TOM

I’m sorry. Daddy’s getting ahead of himself.

Forget about the moving in right now.

But I really can show you who I am.

I’m a really fun dad!

CASEY

I believe you! Sally’s said many good

things about you.

TOM

Did she? Well I like Sally.

Do you wanna know a secret?

CASEY

I love secrets!

TOM

Okay, come here.

Tom starts to ease his way towards her.

TOM

I’m going to teach you the rules to

a game I invented. Are you ready?

CASEY

Yes! I like games.

TOM

I’m sure you do. Do you trust me?

CASEY

Yes, Sally told me I should trust you.

TOM

Good. Sally is a very smart doll.

Now. This game involves a lot

of physical contact, however. Are you ready?

CASEY

Okay. I think so.

TOM

There’s nothing to be scared of.

Now, part of the rules requires

you to take off your shirt.

CASEY

Umm…I don’t know if I can.

TOM

Sure you can. Here, do you want help?

Casey is slowly creeping away from Tom as he gets nearer.

CASEY

No. I don’t want to take my shirt off.

Can we change the rules?

TOM

It’s only fair to play by the rules.

I promise. It will be fun.

Tom corners Casey.

CASEY (scared)

I don’t wanna play anymore!

TOM (irritated)

But we haven’t even started yet.

Quit being a baby and come here!

Give me that damn doll.

Tom grasps Casey’s arm. Casey latches on to the doll. He’s about to strip her down, when Jane bangs on the door.

JANE

Let me in! Tom open the goddamn door!

TOM

Oh, look who it is. Mommy to the rescue.

What a surprise.

Tom opens the door. It’s storming outside.

JANE

Give her to me. Where is she?

TOM

Who? Oh, you mean OUR daughter?

You know, you do have to share her.

Don’t worry, she’s with caring hands.

JANE

I will never leave her with a pig like you.

Where is she?!

TOM

A pig like me? That’s not what you thought

when you married me. We were so in love, Jane.

Didn’t you feel it in your blood? Didn’t

I make you feel something?

JANE

The only thing you made me feel

was disgusted, Tom. You-

CASEY

Mommy! Mommy! Help me,

I’m so sorry!

JANE (anxiously)

Casey! Casey, did he touch you!? Your clothes-

TOM

Get the fuck out of here Jane.

Or do you want me to do it to you again? Huh?

Just like your little Papa once did. Well, do you?

JANE

Give me back the girl, Tom.

She doesn’t deserve this.

TOM (playfully)

She latches on to that stupid doll

just like you did. How cute, how innocent...

Jane shoves him aside, so Casey escapes. He pulls out the gun.

TOM

Give me back the girl, or I’ll shoot.

JANE

You wouldn’t dare.

TOM

Oh really? GIVE HER to me.

JANE

Shoot me then, Tom. Leave Casey alone.

Shoot me, but let her go. Please, Tom.

Casey bites Tom’s arm and he shoots, but misses Jane. Jane and Casey escape.

INT. JANE’S HOUSE- NIGHT

In the middle of that night, while Casey is sleeping, Jane steals the doll from her.

JANE

It's over Sally. I won't let you

go any further.

SALLY

Well what are you going to do? You

don't have the courage to get rid

of me completely. You need me.

JANE

Ha! I need you?

SALLY

We need each other.

People love what they hate.

JANE

What I feel towards you is

much more than hate.

SALLY

Only much more the love.

JANE

Go to hell, Sally.

SALLY

You're no better than I am-

Jane submerges the doll in Holy Water. She then burns it. A couple hours pass. Then, Jane goes over to Casey’s bed and stands there, staring at Casey with glowing green eyes.

FADE OUT.

THE END

0 notes

writewhatyoulove102-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Expensive Dreams

"Do you want to be the next Hannah Montana or the next big superstar on Disney Channel? How about staring in a show on Nickelodeon-" I had heard this ad hundreds of times on the radio. I had never really given much attention to it because I thought it was a bunch of crap. There was no way you could be famous that easily. But one day, I decided to give it a shot.

It was the summer before my senior year, and I realized that I was getting old. I didn't have much going on that summer, so I had time to kill. When I heard the ad on the radio again, I couldn't get it out of my head for a couple of days. I had always debated about chasing my dream in the entertainment industry. Time was ticking by, and I hadn't even given it a shot yet. I decided to chase it since I had one year left before college started. I thought that maybe if I got into the industry, I wouldn't have to go to college. One evening, I mentioned pursuing an acting career to my parents. They weren't surprised to hear me say this. They knew I always wanted to be an actress. They responded by telling me they would support me if I really wanted to go through with this career. The advertisement made me believe that I just had to audition in front of a couple of people, and if they liked me, I would basically be in the entertainment industry. I was so wrong.

I contacted the email that was given in the radio ad. Immediately, I got a call from the company which was called John Robert Powers (a training school). I was excited when they told me that I made an excellent contestant. They gave me all the details, and I quickly wrote them down. Anxiety and excitement overflowed within me as the day approached. I rehearsed a monologue I had learned in my acting class in school. I practiced my smile and made my parents rehearse interviews with me. I felt prepared for this audition.

When the day finally crept up, I woke up unusually early. The audition was an hour away in a hotel, and I had to look my best. Finding the place in the hotel was a hassle. Luckily, we were one of the first ones there, so time was not an issue. I noticed that a lot of the people arriving were way younger than me. They were around seven to fourteen years old. I didn't find it odd, since I was the one starting late in this acting process. I noticed one little girl around seven who seemed to have been dragged there. She was pulling on her mom's shirt, and she was complaining. I wondered why a mother would force their child to audition. But then I remembered: fame and money. I, on the other hand, wanted to pursue this career for the love of entertaining people.

The doors finally opened to the room where the auditions would take place. There were four people dressed extravagantly. There were about two hundred plastic chairs placed in the middle of the room. My dad and I sat down in some chairs near the back of the room. Weirdly enough, the audition was stupidly simple. All I had to do was introduce myself to everyone and recite a memorized line that they gave me. Next, I met with the executive board of John Robert Powers. They made the program seem like it was very selective (almost everyone got in). Then, they asked me why I wanted to be famous, what I was studying, and general questions of the sort. Finally, they told me I would receive a call telling me if I would get invited to the next level.

Later that night, I received the call. They told me I was one of the few that had passed the first round. I literally cried. I was so ecstatic. I had a chance to attain my dreams. They gave me the address for the next audition which would be held the next day.

This audition was even easier than the first. Basically, a lady asked me if I "really" wanted to be an actress, and if I was willing to put in the work (they didn't bother to explain what the work was). Next, she made me recite some lines from a sheet and sing a verse from a song. Then, she told me I made it. I was dazzled. I was in. Was it that quick and that easy? She handed my parents a sheet explaining what the program was about and how much it was going to cost. The whole conversation threw me off. I thought that I was hired to be an actress already. I didn't think I had to pay to be an actress. I didn't realize that JRP wasn't an agency, but a training school that just wanted to take people's money. I also wasn't told that even if I gained an agent, I still had to seek auditions to compete for acting jobs. JRP didn't bother to explain how complicated it was to find a job in the industry. Instead, they took advantage of the little knowledge us beginners had. They claimed to have had so many famous actors succeed because of this training school. JRP couldn't guarantee that I would get a job in the industry, but they claimed to have plenty of exposure and training for me lying ahead. By exposure, they meant I would be able to perform in front of two hundred agents at the final showcase. Yet, they forgot to mention that that was part of a different program and that the costs or the chances of me making it to that level weren't covered or guaranteed from John Robert Powers. If they would have told me this, I probably would have not entangled myself in that situation. We were only given a couple of minutes to make a decision. At the moment, JRP sounded like it was the only route to take if I wanted exposure, so I made my parents pay for it. I felt bad because it was a lot of money, but my parents wanted to demonstrate their support.

I was officially part of the program, and I had twenty weeks of training. It was every Saturday for an hour and a half. We had to look our best for every class. I was always wearing a skirt or a dress. The classes took place on the second floor of an abandoned bank. Already, I knew this program wasn't a very professional one. The room itself, was alright. It had a bunch of pictures of people that had become famous because of the training (or so, they claimed). The rooms were very colorful and inviting.

I was the oldest from my classes by a long shot. Some of the kids could barely hold a conversation or sit still. The teacher acted like she didn't want to be there. All I had to do was recite my memorized commercial/monologue for about two minutes during the whole class period. Next, I received very little critiques from the teacher, and then my time was up. I just sat there listening to the other kids struggle through their monologues. The classes were useless. I learned more from a single hour in my acting class at my high school than all the twenty classes in JRP put together. The kids were too young to remember the advice the teacher gave them, or they just didn't care enough to practice. I took it seriously at first, but after a couple of classes into it, I just gave up on practicing. I was still doing very well compared to the other kids. My teacher called me a "natural actress." I didn’t want to tell my parents about how much bullshit the classes were because I knew they were paying a lot of money for me to be there.

I was exposed to three different agents throughout the weeks, but to no avail. None of them called me back to tell me that they wanted to work with me. I did hear that some of the kids were getting calls from the agents, which made me feel very agitated. They weren't all that good, but their adorableness was what was getting the agents' attention. I wasn't young and cute like the rest of them.

Then the showcase came up, which was just about a week ago. Elegantly, I performed in front of the parents and four agents all at once. By the end of it, one of the agents made me wait a couple of minutes afterwards with a few other kids. She told us that we had the potential to get exposure at a national level. We would spend a week in Las Vegas at a national showcase called IPOP. This was the showcase that exposed me to the two hundred agents mentioned earlier. I was pleased with myself that I was chosen and that potential was seen within me. It interested me until I saw the price. It was double the amount that I had to pay for the John Robert Powers program. They told me I only had that day to think about it, and then I would have to pay the next day.

So, that was the end of my acting career for at least now. I decided it really was a scam that only wanted my money. They could care less if I made it into the industry or not. I didn't know if this IPOP showcase was a big deal or not, but I did know that there was no guarantee that I would get an agent to represent me anyways. I guess it wouldn't have hurt to try it out, but since I'm a college student at this moment, there are more important things to waste my time and money on. There are ways to get exposure to agents that don't cost any money; I just have to keep searching for them. Training schools like JRP, just want to take money from those who are inexperienced. I guess if I'm really meant to have a shot in the entertainment industry, I will get another chance. I learned that if you are being rushed to join something and it requires a lot of money, no matter how appealing it sounds to you, it probably isn't the smartest choice. There are other ways to chase your dreams that are less expensive and demanding.

0 notes

writewhatyoulove102-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Actors in the Community

I was worried that I would not find a place where I felt like I belonged, or where I felt that what I was doing was important. I had so much time in my hands, and I felt like I was wasting it. One day however, I received an email from the theatre department. I was asked to join the production of The Crucible. I was really excited to be engaging in drama once again. The most exciting part was that this was the main stage production. This opportunity was the beginning of my identity and sense of responsibility here in Iowa City.

The director of the play, Doug Scholz-Carlson, decided to add music to the production. He believed that music added to the suspense of the play. I was asked to be part of the music in the show by the stage manager Katy. I love to sing, so this was a perfect chance for me to do both acting and singing on stage. Seven other students and I were casted in an octet. We didn’t have many rehearsals at first, since we had a smaller role. But once the date started creeping up, the only thing on my schedule was rehearsal. It was 4 hours long on the weekdays. On the weekends, it was 10 to 12 hours long on Saturdays and 12 hours long on a Sunday. I spent a lot of time with the cast. As you can imagine, I formed strong ties with them, especially the octet. We shared similar experiences throughout the production of the show. I felt like these were people with whom I could identify.

A typical rehearsal consisted of warming up our voices with the whole cast and singing over the music for about half an hour. After that, some of the actors would go over the violent scenes. They would warm up in these scenes by acting it out in slow motion first. Then, they would rehearse it at full speed, and Doug would always ask the actors if they were comfortable. Doug cared a lot about his actors. He made sure that we all felt safe. Next, we would go over scenes that Doug felt needed more work on. Finally, he would go over notes with the whole cast.

For the octet, we didn’t have much going on until the last week before the show: tech week. Back at my high school, we would call this hell week. Rehearsals became intense. Here at Iowa, we would only have 5 minute breaks every hour. The octet had the most challenging part on stage. We had to sit on stage for the entire run of the show, and we had to stay in character or else we could be a distraction to the audience. We weren’t allowed to be on our phones, or work on any homework. We just sat there and watched the actors go over scenes. Thankfully, Doug began to add more music into the scenes.

The octet would sing underscore while the actors were saying their lines. We had to work together to make sure we were all in harmony. This involved a lot of patience and respect for each other. We all had to do our part and rely on each other to sing the right notes. The music and the lyrics were important because they contributed a lot to the mood of the play. They made the dramatic moments in the show even more suspenseful with the off-key chords being sung in the background. We sang louder as the tension escalated in the scenes. We could make the audience feel overwhelmed with the power of our voices. We had the same effect on the show as creepy music does in horror movies because we worked together.

Sometimes, we would rehearse three hours straight on just one transition that was only twenty seconds long in the show. At first, the amount we spent was ridiculous to me; later on, I realized that it was worth it. The transitions were very powerful moments in the show. It was the time when the whole town was together and telling the story at the same time. It might seem like it’s an overstatement on how long we spent rehearsing these, but it’s true because these scenes were the hardest to nail down. The reason why was because there were thirty bodies on stage that had to be placed in the right spot and cooperate with the rest of the cast. The transitions had to be smooth and engaging, which was the final result after all the hard work. This was where I felt the most sense of community that I was searching for here in Iowa. We all had to work together and actually be a community on stage.

This community had many different interests off the stage. I learned a lot about the people in my cast. One of the members in the octet named Anny said, “this is not my area of specialty, but I still want to contribute my voice to it.” Another friend named Matt said, “I love theatre. I’m so happy to be in this show as a freshman, and I hope to one day make my career out of this.” I’m an English major, but I love acting in general. I’ve also been in chorus since fifth grade, and singing has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. Although the cast had a variety of interests, we all came together for one: the love for entertaining.

This passion for entertaining became the strongest when the massacre in Las Vegas occurred. We were going over a scene when Doug paused rehearsal and said that he needed to talk to us. He told us what had just happened, and then he gave an empowering speech that I won’t ever forget. He said, “We as actors may feel that our job is of very little importance, but we must continue to act and bring the community together through entertainment.” By doing this, we can work towards making the world a place that we want to live in. At that moment, I realized what our purpose was, and what it really meant to be an actor.

I felt a sense of community with my cast. Now, it was our job to provide that same sense to the other people in Iowa City. Through The Crucible production, we brought the Iowan community together and allowed them to escape their worries and dissipate the boundaries that keep people apart. We allowed a chance for the audience to engage in an experience together and feel harmony between each other, even if it was only for a couple of hours.

If the show was done effectively, it would spread a message to the outside world. Eric Stone, the scenic designer, brilliantly said, “The Crucible is performed in certain time periods when its message needs to be heard…that time is now.” The message of this play digresses from the narrative of my essay, but what’s important to take from this, is that plays not only bring people together, but also encourage change in society to make it a better place.

On stage was where my responsibility here in Iowa City began. One message that I learned from rehearsing the play as well as performing in it is that it’s important to take care of each other. The cast, especially, had to execute this on Sunday, the weekend of our first round of shows. Shannon, our main singer, got a fever the night before. She came in twenty minutes before the show started, in tears. She told us her situation, and the whole cast had to work together to cope with the circumstance. We cut out most of the music for the show that day. The important parts were sung by other cast members that sung in Shannon’s voice part. The actors had to improvise a little more, due to the lack of music. Now, we could’ve reacted in one of two ways. We could’ve gotten mad at Shannon and blamed her for not being reliable. We could’ve forced her to try and sing anyways. Instead, we forgave her and made sure that she took care of her voice. We all gave her a big hug and told her that everything was going to be okay. During the performance, she almost fainted, and we encouraged her to go home and rest. The cast made sure to take care of any parts that Shannon was in charge of on stage. We had some upperclassmen fill in for her voice parts as well as some people in the octet. I helped move her props around on stage. We were able to cover all her roles.

This was one of many instances when the cast had to look out for one another. I used this message of the importance of taking care of each other, in my life outside of theatre. One day, I saw a homeless man sitting on one of the park benches in the downtown area in Iowa City. I stopped for a few seconds to talk to him and gave him some change that I had in my backpack. I wanted him to know that there were people that cared about him.

Being in the production of The Crucible was a great experience for me. I found a group of people that I knew I could rely on, and where I felt a sense of identity in this huge city. I also discovered my responsibility here. That responsibility is to encourage people to take care of each other. The production of The Crucible brought the people of Iowa City together, and not only were we actors on stage, but we are also active actors in the community.

0 notes