At Leavitt this year we performed the musical “The Wizard of Oz.” This was my first lead role at this level and, needless to say, I was nervous. Theater can be a nerve- racking experience; the lights, makeup, microphones, hundreds of lines, movements, dances, and costumes can be stressful and almost intimidating. Combine that with the troubles of a teenager, and the pressure of school, not to mention a full basketball schedule, and life gets hectic.

However, one of the interesting parts of this show was my character. I was cast as the Tin Man and had to wear a 10-15 pound suit of tin. This suit was possibly the most ridiculous costume I’ve ever used. It was hot, barely bendable, easily dented, and amused itself by cutting me whenever I wasn’t careful. Despite the difficulty and problems with the suit, the show went really well.

On Thursday, the dress rehearsal we had a pretty full house and some technical issues. I made a mistake with my microphone and thus for the first act of the show I was inaudible. Despite this, the crowd seems to love the performance and got a kick out of all the different personalities, both the characters and the actors portraying them. On Friday the show went well and I think I nailed my song. Then a problem occurred. While dancing the Jitterbug onstage, my microphone slipped out of my pocket and started pulling on my ear. I finished the show without a mike. Despite this mistake, I felt a smile brought to my face when I was taking off my metal costume. A young boy, Daniel, came backstage with his parents and made my day when he told me that he loved the Tin Man. It is one thing to be told by others how great you were, but when someone goes out of their way to tell you how much they enjoyed the performance, that makes up for all the bad things that happen. Saturday’s show went well enough, and thankfully my mike stayed attached to me!

On the way home from the show, I almost began to miss it already. For the past three to four months, rehearsals had been a major part of my life. I knew it would be a while before I saw some of these people again, and the fun we had was something to be yearned for. However, goodbyes never last forever and sure enough it was only a couple of weeks before the next show auditions began. There were goods and bads, ups and downs, and laughs and tears throughout this show. To all the future Tin Men out there, from one Tin Man to the next, have fun during the show, beware of your metal costume, and break a leg.