Theater Cubicles

Curriculum

Punctuality: my source of contentedness. 

The next morning my phone's alarm woke me up at 6:45. My roommate awoke as well, as I notice her squirming under the covers in dark. It was a weird feeling sleeping in the same room as someone who is practically a stranger to you. We chose our best outfits for our first day of school and went down at 7:05 to eat breakfast. Well... at least I did. 

Germaine wasn't the breakfast eating type. She had a few packages of her special energy bars that were kept neatly tucked under her bed. I guessed she wasn't the sort of person who thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day. 

Breakfast during the weekdays consisted of cereal option and a toast station. 

I asked the one cafeteria lady that was present,  "Excuse me...sorry, did you happen to have waffles or pancakes or french toast?"

The lady replied with a slight roll of her eyes, "Girl, we don't have any of those on weekdays. We got all the staff serving the good food on the weekends. There's coffee and Lucky Charms, sweetie."

"Oh, sorry! Thanks!" I flushed as I acknowledged my stupidity.

I had to stop wanting to eat so much in this new school! There were a lot of actresses that were keeping shape and here I was dreaming of bacon and maple syrup. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't on the verge of acquiring an eating disorder. However, I had to definitely lower my expectations of this place. It wasn't a five star hotel's continental buffet after all.

The time stamp on my phone read 7:45. My schedule indicated that it was time to head to the small theater. As I walked across Inspiration Park, I felt a deluge of jitters enter my body. It was so windy, I had to awkwardly hold my floral skirt down so that it wouldn't fly up. All of a sudden, my stomach was hurting with the swarm of butterflies it had accumulated as if I was in the waiting room of the doctor's office.

I opened the glossy wooden doors and entered the small theater. Being that it was 7:50 and class started at 8:00, I was early. At least I would get to scan around the theater at my leisure. 

The door had a flight of twenty stairs descending to a stage that might have been a length of 18 feet in the front. The red curtains were not drawn and the red velvet seats were in their upward position as they were not occupied. All but one...

"Oh. My. Gosh," I thought to myself. "Of all the people who would be here early..."

I sat very quietly on the seat farthest from the door and highest up, my back to the wall. I observed in the person's hands a play book and a folder full of papers. They were probably photocopied scripts for the students.

I flinched in my seat as he coughed loudly, "Ahem...hem!"

He then turned around and noticed me saying nonchalantly, "Hello, freshman. What are you doing here at this time? You should be nervously trying to find this place."

Nolan.

"I like to be punctual," I replied in my ever so characteristically nerdy voice. 

My face must have turned the color of the seats and curtains. Two more directors entered the theater talking about last year's end-of-the-year play. I recollect their names being Tessa and Isaac. And then came the couple Germaine had described: Mackenzie and Kasi. A few other teenagers filed in to different seats randomly strewn about the theater. None of us knew each other. It was 7:59 when Edith came in looking coldly at the backs of Isaac and Tessa's heads. Then, in that one minute, came 15 more students. The bell finally rang at 8:00. There were no teachers present. There were just the directors. Nolan went up to the stage to speak.

"Hello, freshman," he bellowed arrogantly, "Welcome to your first year in the Arts Academy.  You are guaranteed to experience a series of wonderful experiences, if you are willing to be hard-working and determined that is. We are going to be your instructors for the year. Mr. Williams and Ms. Jones teach the highest level Junior and Senior class. They will administer your tests and watch the shows but we are your teachers. So I would like to call up all of the directors..."

Tessa began, "Hi! My names Tessa. My favorite play is Sweeney Todd and I love to act in comedy."

Shy and nice as I had predicted. 

Isaac laughed out loud spontaneously and stated, "I am Isaac. I love all aspects of theater. I am ready to make you like them too!"

I cringed at the excessive amount of energy he had so early in the morning.

Edith claimed coolly, "It's Edith. I know I am a teenager too and I can't boss you around but I'm your director so I can. Even if it means I have to yell at you."

So that was a weird introduction. I thought sarcastically of how well she came off at ease. 

Kasi said in a collected manner, "Hello, my name Kasi. I am here to make your theater experience as less intimidating as possible."

Then she giggled and pointed to Mackenzie.

He stealthily switched his footing, "I am Mackenzie. Call me Mack."

And then Nolan retorted, "I am Nolan. Call me Nolan. Hope to get to teach the twenty of you especially selected aspiring actors how to act the best and most professional way."

The guy already infuriated me. He pointed out that we were in fact especially selected. Then he claims to teach us the "right way" of acting. If we were specially selected, wouldn't that mean we were already talented? There was no right way of acting. Especially in theater!

Don't forget to vote and comment:)