Sincerely, Catera

A lot of the students at the previous high school that I was enrolled in before I transferred, questioned why I hadn't auditioned for their show at the time which was Once On This Island. I never experimented with theatre let alone knew any shows so I answered with a simple shrug. It was kind of daunting to me at the time. But, that all changed when I was given a fresh start.

The following year, I transferred to a brand new high school, and because the seniors at the other high schools weren't allowed to transfer to this new school, my class had seniority for two years, AND we were the first graduating class. It was a big deal when it came to leaving our mark for the following generations, so I just knew that I had for be one of the first people to perform on the shiny performing arts stage. I had somehow managed to follow my mother's footsteps and enrolled in my first ever show choir which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I wanted more. I wasn't sure what “more” was until there was a sign up sheet to audition for Little Shop of Horrors. Without a doubt I signed up, but knew I needed to have a discussion at home with my mom.

Funnily enough, she played one of the doowop girls when she was in high school so she was able to give me a little bit of insight of the show. Essentially, Seymour, the main character and flower shop worker, takes care of an, at first innocent looking Venus Flytrap plant which he names Audrey 2. The more he gets to know this plant the weirder it gets. He discovers that the plant feeds off of blood and can talk! The plant even convinces Seymour to feed him humans. I was so confused by the plot that I just had to watch the film adaptation starring Rick Moranis as Seymour, Ellen Greene as Audrey, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, and Michelle Weeks the story tellers/Greek chorus members. Here's a trailer for those of you who have not seen it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqFZuR6UzjA

After watching the movie I was more convinced that it'd be worth doing and it was. After auditioning I landed my first theatrical role as Ronette, one of the three story tellers. With no acting class prior to this experience, it was through this first time experience that I discovered a new found love for live theatre and performing in general.

Spending years in the choral scene and dance teams, I already had a basis when it came to learning music and dancing. I think the hardest part for me was getting a grip on the acting and characters motivation, which was a no brainer because I was one of the only ones in the cast who had no acting experience. But I embraced the experience fully and soaked up as much as I could from both my director and cast mates.

I'm unable to find any production photos, so all of the photos below were from our first dress rehearsal:

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