Ready for my closeup

Lots of kids in my town played soccer or baseball. I never cared much about participating in sports- I was more interested in singing. My favorite toy was my mother's turkey baster, which I used as a microphone when I would perform song after song on my parents' driveway. I would recruit my younger brother and sister, as well as any other kids in the neighborhood, to put on shows in our basement.

I was not a shy child.

This was recognized by Sister Pat, the music teacher at my elementary school. She asked me if I'd like to be the ONLY kindergartener in the school play (normally reserved for 3rd grade and up- they needed one little kid to be the youngest princess in "The King and I"). I of course jumped at the chance, and thus began my career onstage. The school play at Grey Nun Academy led to community theatre productions, and eventually some "touring" too. I was good at memorizing lines, and even if I wasn't the prettiest little girl, or the most on-key singer, I had so much energy for it that I usually got to play the good parts. In one of the reviews for a production of The Sound of Music I was in at the age of 8, they described my "big voice" as Gretl - I was definitely always the loudest.

Performing was fun because it was something I happened into organically. I was the kind of kid who loved applause and taking a bow, and my teacher recognized that and gave me an opportunity. From there, I begged to audition for other shows- my mom never pushed me into it, or decided it's something I should be doing. It also taught me about rejection at an early age- sometimes, no matter how much you want something, you don't get it. I also learned to make the best of what I was given. I didn't always get picked for a lead role, but I was going to be the best person in the background that I could be.



When I was in high school, I decided to share my love of theatre with the younger kids in my town and started a group called Backyard Stars for kids 6 to 12. We held rehearsals 2 days a week during the summer, and put on a show each August. It was both a great way to earn money doing something I loved and a way to get the kids who played sports to expand their horizons a bit. I loved sharing what I knew, loved running rehearsals, and loved seeing how excited the kids were when they got applause.




I continued performing through college, but I knew that as much as I loved it, it wasn't ever going to be my career. Unlike the people you see on American Idol, who are blindly told that they are talented even when they are not, I always knew that I wasn't talented enough to really make it. I also like knowing when my next paycheck is coming.


I no longer sing into a turkey baster, but have retained my love of musical theatre and my admiration of those who make live theatre the most exciting form of entertainment there is; the only form of entertainment that will never be replaced by an online option. Applause doesn't sound nearly as good on YouTube as it does in person, I know that for a fact.