225BatonRouge.com - Blogs

It's 6:10 and I'm sitting at a computer in a disgusting office full of paint, bolts of fabric, empty Coke cans and old set designs. It's opening night at the Baton Rouge Little Theater and I am waiting backstage for my theatrical debut in Annie Get Your Gun. I'm just in the ensemble (my mom thinks I'm the best one), and this is my very first real production to be in. In college I did some experimental stuff in the Black Box Theatre at Coates Hall, but I don't think crawling from one corner of the room to the other singing the Juicy Fruit theme songs constitutes a "production."

I'm a little anxious about our first real show, but we've been practicing for five weeks, and I feel I like I could do my numbers in my sleep. Actually I have been dreaming about it, but it is usually one of those anxiety-ridden, can't get ready and on the stage no matter how hard I try and everybody's waiting on me kind of dreams, so it's not really successful at helping me prepare for the show. Overall, I'm not too nervous because I have confidence in my castmates, who are mostly all veterans of the theater, especially Dylan Passman, 12. His resume outweighs Kevin Bacon's. This being my first true exposure to theater geeks, I wasn't too surprised by the people I've gotten to know, since I can recite the entire script of Waiting For Guffman backwards.*

Not that everyone acts like Ron and Sheila Albertson (although there have been some Corky St. Clair moments). First of all, everyone's a lot more talented than the cast of "Red, White, and Blaine" (just see our review in The Advocate) And secondly, we're a lot more down to earth--for the most part. However, I have been witness to some backstage breakdowns, absurd warm-up techniques (anyone for "sound ball"?), exasperatingly stupid questions (some mine), and the politics of theatre (many in the cast have admitted to taking their roles only to increase their chances of scoring a good part in this summer's Beauty and the Beast). And, of course, there have been many "who's gay, who's straight" conversations--and confusions.

All in all, I have loved being a train car rider/can-can dancer/debutante/cowgirl/head dinner cross girl, and I can't wait for the next production. But now Keith, our director, is calling places for the opening number, and as the opening number says, "Let's go on with the show!"

* If you haven't seen Waiting For Guffman, I have three points of instruction for you: 1.) Slap yourself 2.) Finish reading my blog 3.) Go rent the movie and watch it, and watching it doesn't count unless you memorize the deleted scenes, especially "This Bulging River."