It all started with an old man emoji.
In April of 2023 our director, David Baker, posted a statement on the GNA Drama Club Facebook page telling us that we’d be playing a game to find out the next spring musical. The game was that every week he’d post one emoji until the final announcement of what our spring 2024 musical was going to be. The first emoji given was an old man. As slick as Mr. Baker thought he was, we all guessed Willy Wonka immediately. For weeks, however, he was telling us that we were wrong, but clearly, that was quickly proven to be untrue. A squirrel, TV, bucket, bubbles, and a top hat later, it was finally announced that we were putting on Willy Wonka.
Fast forward a few months, it’s November and auditions were already just around the corner. The day of, I walked over to the band room after cheer practice just like I did the previous year. Everyone was crowded in, talking about how nervous they were for their audition and what role they were going out for. After a long, excruciating wait, I was finally called into the auditorium to audition. I sang “World Burn” from Mean Girls. Now, I just had to wait for the cast list that would be posted the following week.
Before I could say the words “mukluk, supercilious, and pianoforte,” last year’s Wizard of Oz group chat started pinging on my phone, and the cast list was hanging down on the music room door. Just before lunch, I walked down to look. I was given the role of Ms. Teavee. I have to be honest, at first, I was really unsure of whether or not I wanted to go through with playing this role. It wasn’t the role I’d gone out for, so I was mostly just disappointed. However, after lots of texts and conversations, I was convinced to sign my name and take the role.
Soon enough, rehearsals began and I became Ms. Teavee. Rehearsals began on every Tuesday and Thursday, and once in a while on Saturdays. We learned choreography, our music, and moved on to blocking when that was finished – the basic stuff. It wasn’t easy by any means, but I wouldn’t say I had a difficult time with this role either. I think the hardest part about doing shows like this one is bringing in younger kids to play ensemble roles. At a certain point, it felt like we spent more time trying to settle the kids down and do what they were supposed to be than actually rehearsing. However, the longer I got to learn my character, the more I learned to love it. In the first few weeks, I couldn’t wait for it to be over, but by the time tech week hit, I didn’t want it to go.
For the first time, I had to learn choreography, which I didn’t have to learn last year as my role of Aunt Em/Glinda. That I think is the thing I struggled the most to get down and be comfortable with. But after weeks and weeks of rehearsing, I managed to perfect it. Another struggle was definitely my song “I See It All On TV.” I’ll never understand why I couldn’t get this song right for the life of me. I could sing it perfectly at home or backstage, but the second I walked out in front of the lights it was like the whole song was erased from my mind. Once the first performance for the elementary students came around, I finally got it right. It was so exhilarating not being able to get it right even once for months, but when we performed for an audience for the first time I hadn’t messed it up or forgotten anything. And if you’re wondering, I didn’t mess it up for any performances after that either. I think my stronger suits in this role were being able to learn my lines quickly and really take on the role of Ms. Teavee. Even when I wasn’t talking or singing, I was still a character in Willy Wonka. Mike Teavee, played by Keeth Beck, and I did a great job mirroring each other and showing off our mother/son relationship. Spotlight on us or not, we kept up with our parts and it made being a part of the show much more fun.
The process definitely had its ups and downs, and tech week was something completely beyond stressful. There were so many incidents leading up to the show that felt like horrible omens alluding to how the show would go. But through it all, getting to go on and perform for hundreds of people each night is a feeling so rewarding and unmatched by anything else. Everyone in Willy Wonka did phenomenally, and it was truly something special. It was an experience I’ve grown exponentially from, and I can’t wait to do it all again next year.
