My First Time On Stage

I grew up as a painfully shy child.  In 5th grade I cringe remembering my English class.  My teacher had everyone recite poems in front of the class.  We couldn't JUST say the poem.  We had to say it with feeling.  Emphasize the emotion in it.  In other words, act it out.  It was miserable for me.  I broke out in tears at one point.  By the end of the year, though, I had begun to come out of my shell. I shocked my English teacher by doing an amazing job (for me anyway) of performing one of the last poems of the year.  He was so impressed, I was asked to skip part of my Science class to do it again in front of his next class. 

Years later, in high school, I wanted to go on stage.  I loved watching the plays.  They looked like so much fun.  I always found a reason to talk myself out of trying out.  To this day I still wish I would have at least tried.  

This weekend was my first time I acted on stage, in front of an audience.  I thought I would be a nervous wreck.  I had a small solo (2 lines), a small duet (2 lines), a skit, and a few jokes, along with group songs, and dancing. 

We prepared and rehearsed for weeks.  We put on Gee Haw 2 (like Hee Haw).  Come the day of our first 3 performances, I was calm.  No nerves.  Then, just as we gathered to go on, I had this overwhelming feeling of bursting into tears.  No time for that!  I took a few deep breaths, gathered myself together, and walked on stage.  

I want to say that that was the most fun I've possibly ever had.  It was a whole different experience.  The whole 3 performances on Saturday I had different little moments of nerves popping up.  Come Sunday, we only had 2 performances (1 of each, as we had 2 different shows).  I wasn't nervous at all.  I was excited to go out, to sing, to dance, and do my skit.  I am looking forward to my chance to do it again.