Calamity Jane

My older sister always liked to participate in as many extra curricular activities as possible. She got to high school two years before I did and seemed to be involved in everything. She ran cross country, was in the school musical, played in the band and ran track at the end of the year. As a new freshman I wanted to do just as much as she was doing. I may have stepped on her toes a few times including running cross country with her and being a part of the school musical with her, I even ran track at the end of the school year. The school decided to do a production of Calamity Jane my freshman year. For me this musical involved dressing up in cowboy attire and singing and about love and beauty and dancing around at the local bar or farm (the scenes in the musical). Trying out consisted of showing up and being given a script to read over. After about fifteen minutes we were ushered onto the stage with a group of three or four other people trying out. We read the scene as we interpreted it and then were told that call backs would be listed on the office window the next day. I tried out and was sad when I did not get a main part. It was not obvious to me that juniors and seniors usually got those parts while freshman and sophomores got the crowd roles. Even though this was a musical we were not asked to sing. I was okay with not getting a main part because I was also wrestling so I had to manage the time I had available. At the first practice we learned how to do a simple shuffle step and started to learn a chorus piece from the musical. When the director heard me sing she asked me to sing a song that was to be performed in the bar scene. I tried it out and she liked it so much that she gave me that song as a solo. I was very excited about the opportunity but also a little afraid of what that meant. I would have to sing a solo in front of whatever crowd was present. My older sister was very supportive. She helped me practice my part and never laughed when I would miss a word. The high school orchestra played the music for the musical so I had to learn how to sing the melody without actually having it played. Orchestra's pieces seemed meant to add depth to the music and the song but not the melody. The orchestra director also helped everyone on stage by reciting the words to the songs and sometimes she would even recite the script. Well after two months of rehearsals the performances began. Our matinee was scheduled with the local middle school. They were bused over and sat according to class with teachers constantly telling the students to hush. There was a men's and women's dressing rooms on one side of the stage and all of us crammed in to change into costume. I was dressed in my cowboy attire which consisted of boots with spurs, jeans, old leather chaps that I borrowed from a friend, a long sleeve shirt, my grandpa's old leather vest, a red bandanna, and a hat. The director made all of the lead characters and me, because of my solo, wear stage makeup which consisted of a tan base on the face and neck and eye liner. I looked good! The musical started without a hitch we danced and sang and waited for our parts while repeating every one else's lines. When you hear the play over and over you tend to be able to repeat almost everything. Then my song was up. My solo is a song about a beautiful girl named Adalaid Adams. I sang all about her hair, eyes, cheeks, and other body parts. I sang her name various times as well. Coming into the second verse I forgot the words and stood their while the orchestra kept playing. My mind went totally blank and I stared out wondering what I should do. I looked out into the audience for what seemed an eternity when I remembered to look at the orchestra director. She was mouthing the words and one look down and I remembered my place and sang as if I had not missed anything. In all of the other performances I never forgot the words to the song. I still look good.