Yep. Over the years, I've been in a few plays, some more enjoyable than others. Some for drama scholarship, some for keeping close to a friend, an some because I was so unsure of what to do with my life. Here are those plays.

Guys and Dolls, NKHS, 1999

Everyone has a start, right? At the time, I didn't even know that mine was a start. I tried out for GaD for two main reasons: all choir people tried out for it, and my best friend at the time was trying out, and I knew he'd get in. In the previous year, I hadn't seen him alot all Winter and Spring because of his role in South Pacific, so I realized the only way to still see him was to be in the play.

The play in itself wasn't so bad. . . but after being a part of a more advanced theater system, it seems so childish.

Plus, a chunky girl who is almost 6 feet tall is meant to be a guy, not a doll.

There are reasons that I refused to dance as a hotbox girl in the front row. Costuming is one.

As it goes, musicals are my favorite to be in, from what I have been in. That's probably because I have the heart of a choir girl. Go fig.

But once Guys and Dolls was over, I thought I'd never be in another play, ever.

10 Minute Play Festival, OC, 1999

Theater was something that I never thought I'd get back into after high school. . . just because it made me think too much of my exbest friend, who had always adamantly been at every high school play tryout. Yet, one of my friends at the time convinced me to try out for the 10 minute play festival of OC, stating it would be a fun afterschool activity for me.

Much to my surprise when I was selected for two plays.

The first, 'Clue' based on the board game, was written by student Pam Rhodes, and much to my pleasure, had me starring as Miss Scarlett, my favorite character. I had like 5 lines, spoke in a Russian accent, and got dropped alot by Bjorn. All in all, it was great! Minimalism at it's best.

The second, was my first lead ever. For a 10 minute play, that's not that much, but at the time, IT WAS HELL. Having never taken an acting class, and having no idea what it was to connect with your character, I found myself spouting meaningless lines and lecturing the audience on why they should go to the theater instead of the movies. I dreaded that play so much. . . at least people didn't boo.

Plus, I had about a minute costume change for that. . . ugh.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly, OC, 2000

The first real play I was ever in came about after my second quarter of college started. At the time, I had just changed all of my academic classes to theater classes to save the classes for my friends. Who knew I'd like it so much, huh?

Auditions came for this play, and I thought, what the hell? It's not like it'll kill me. Besides, I find myself very shy when I'm in front of people, but not when I'm acting.

I got a part as one of the Jewish Children in a Nazi internment camp. It was a very dark play with a beautiful message, and I thought it was the greatest thing that I would ever do in theater, because I still wasn't thinking about theater as a career at the time.

But before the performances, I emailed my exbest friend to call him on a promise he made to me while we were still friends: That if I were ever in a play so good, he'd come see it. He shot me down, told me no, broke a promise and lied to me.

It only fueled me.

The first night of performance, I literally blew my director away. After the show, he told me, 'Terri, you're fired. I want that girl who acted out there tonight!'

Arbeit macht frei.

Of Mice and Men, OC, 2000

After getting done with a quarter of all drama classes, and being so pumped up by my performance in 'Butterfly', I decided to try out for the Spring play, Of Mice and Men. I really didn't think I'd get the one female part in the play, juat because role like the voluptuous little sex maiden are pretty type cast. I went in that audition and one of the first things the director said to me was:

"Aw man, if you were a guy, I'd instantly make you Lenny."

Sure, it's the part of the musclebound retard, but I was happy that he thought I had done good enough to be a lead. I waited for the role list to be posted, and when we got to call backs, I was shocked to find out I was to be the Boss of the ranch. The director had switched a guy part over so I could play it.

It was such a great play to be in, too. I was onstage maybe, fifteen minutes total, was the only character with a costume change, and I got a SHOTGUN. (ahh, my love Jean Claude. . .) I love bit parts.

The Merry Widow, OC, 2000

Now when it comes to bit parts, this is the smallest thing I have ever played. The spring opera was the Merry Widow, and the director of the show needed a maid. Simple. Bring in drinks, take out drinks. Bring in letter, walk off stage. And at only two nights, it was great.

For that play, I was also set crew, props mistress, and sound woman. Looking back, I'm amazed that people actually applauded the choir people, horrendous actors as they were.

They were probably applauding me.

Shit, I'm vain.

Comedy of Errors, The Roving Players, 2000

When summer first started out, Laura talked me into going to auditions for a Shakepeare play with her and Adam. I agreed, but didn't think I'd get anything. I even hoped, considering I really wanted some time off.

I ended up being the abbess, Aemelia. And a merchant, and a painter, but you get the idea. My husband ended up being a 40 year old woman. Now that was scary.

But after all the ren faires, and the unfortunate circumstances that left me acting with my ex-best friends father (but only for two nights, thank God), I realized that Shakespeare, is HELL.

Good luck trying to get me to do that again.

Still, there was the Wench Wagon.

On The Verge, OC, 2000

Ah, a lead role. The bane of my existance. Not only was this one of the best theater experiences that I ever had, it was also the worst. There's truly nothing like finding out that you are the lead of a play. Too bad that realization also comes with the need to learn over three hundred lines in a matter of weeks.

Still, the rush of being watched every moment. . . the bonds developed with other actors. . . the full Victorian clothing. . . it was great.

My main complaint is the direction. I have never before had such a bi-polar director that scared me half of the time, and the other half I wanted to smack the shit out of her. Well, I've learned now to know as much about your director as possible.

And They Fight, 2001

This was an interesting show to be in. I didn't start doing any real work on it until about a week before we opened, and I took the freakin' class. I don't wan't to go so far as to say we were unorganized. . . .*tapers off*

I had the joy of being the Nurse in a 'Romeo and 'Juliet' battle scene, Paul's love interest in a 'Dune' sword fight, sort of myself in a parody of 'Green Eggs and Ham' pro-wrestling match, and Romeo in a knife fight. Very interesting.

And stressful.

I'm just glad others enjoyed it.

Our Town, Spring 2001

Did I say I'd take time off of theater? I lied. This last quarter, I was in two productions in one month. Ehhh. . . and what a joy it was. The best part was being backstage and whispering 'Timmy!' back and forth to my ASL partner.

What's that, you say? ASL partner? You see, our productionhad two casts, a signing cast, and a speaking cast. It was very interesting, and I think that the show itself gave off a very strong message.

I played Mrs. Gibbs, and how fun it was to stand and say your lines. No movement. poor Denise, my partner, was flying around signing like a monkey on crack. Heee. . . monkey.

The Magic Flute, Spring 2001

Call me crazy, but I love being a background actor. For this play, I was a dread snake, and a nun. Yes, the costumes for this show sucked royally, because the costumer had absolutely no concept of time, and thought that girls could run around in see through material.

All in all though, it merged a great gap between the music and theater departments, even more so than last year. Plus, it was great fun. AND THE PROPS LOOKED FANTASTIC! (pat myself on the back)

Letters From Sarajevo

Definitely the best play that I was ever in at OC. I didn't get the character that I wanted, there ws alot of waiting around doing nothing, and my husband in the show was somebody that I wanted to castrate in real life. But all of that was blurred in comparison to the actual message we sent out. The world's a stage. . .