There are so many opportunities that I can get here that I am not able to get anywhere else.
Peddie theater gives students like tour guide Angelina the chance to explore and develop their singing, dancing and acting skills. Just take a deep breath and jump in.
Standing in Ms. Sherman’s classroom, script in hand, while slightly shaking, I get up from my chair and begin my monologue: “Excuse me – are you going to get that?”
But let’s back up a bit. Before starting my freshman year at Peddie, I received an email asking about my interest in Freshman Musical – a production run by upperclassmen, exclusively for freshmen. Though I had never done theater, I signed up and filmed my audition materials by my staircase, repeatedly recording clips from “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” in hopes of perfection. That didn’t really happen, so I sent in my best try.
I found myself in the Peddie theater building auditioning for “Shrek.” A sore voice and body later, I scored the role of Shrek’s mom, earning a duet at the beginning of the show. It wasn’t a main role, but I was pleased to contribute. Back then, the Swig hallways were filled with freshmen attempting choreography by Giulia Marolda ’18, a talented Peddie alumna who is now on tour! Through months of hard work, we reached the final checkpoint: performing for one night in a sold-out theater. I was first in line, holding my baby Shrek and twirling him around as I sang.
That small part satisfied me then, and I never imagined returning to the stage as a busy STEM student. Yet, watching Peddie’s musicals, plays and Honors Theater productions over the years, I yearned to memorize scripts and act with friends again. In the spring of my junior year, I decided to take the plunge and sing “When Will My Life Begin” from “Tangled” in chapel with my friend Chloé. In a way, the lyrics foreshadowed what came next. By wondering when my “theater” life at Peddie would truly begin, I grasped the opportunity the moment I received an email from Ms. Sherman while at a world robotics championship event in Houston, inviting me to audition for Honors Theater.
I emailed her back, set up an audition time and got to memorizing. Now, standing in Ms. Sherman’s classroom, I got through the monologue quite smoothly. I held my breath during the last moments when I realized that Gordon (played by senior Bryan Cheng) is dead, slumping in his chair. I held his hand tenderly, gave my final lines and stared at him as what I had done finally registered. After some awkward silence, I looked at Ms. Sherman with a soft smile, and she thanked me.
A couple days later, I received the acceptance email! Honors Theater is an exclusive senior class exploring advanced acting techniques, text analysis, directing, playwriting, movement and vocal production, culminating in a student-produced one-act play festival in the spring. Never shooting your shot at something deemed impossible is guaranteed rejection, but always shooting your shot guarantees the acknowledgment of your interests – and that is always made possible at Peddie.