Acting & Social Justice (in 7th grade)
“No more Hiroshima,” I screamed, “No more Nagasaki!” My 7th grade play had me in a march, with my peers, down the aisle of the auditorium to the stage. Breaking the fourth wall, being there vocally in service of a cause I believed in changed me. Embodying a role freed me and the group of which I was part. Until then I had self-identified as an athlete—this was a break away from competition into collaboration. I loved it.
I was an earthworm (and wanted more stage time)
Even in elementary school though, I remember relishing my role as a worm who sang about the importance of biodegradable garbage. There was a scene that went something like this:
INT. A BUNKER
EARTHWORM
Hey, I hear there’s a lot of biodegradable garbage in NYC.
GENERAL WORM
Hey, I don’t know what that means. BOOK WORM: bring me the report.
ME (as BOOK WORM)
Here’s the report.
GENERAL WORM
Hmm… looks like we’re going to New York since this says there’s a lot we can eat there that’ll turn to earth after we digest it. Let’s go to New York City.
ME (AD LIBBING)
But I don’t want to go to New York City!
So, where I had my one line, despite Mr. Lombardi’s best efforts to get me to exit after saying it, I tacked on a response to the next line (which wasn’t even directed to me).
twenty-six aspiring actors asked me how to get on the Disney channel last week
I am not sure what made me so emphatic about wanting to stay onstage and deliver that line. I think it was a mixture of:
- Jealousy that Nick Davin (sp?) had a bigger role than me;
- Jealousy that he was literally bigger and taller than me, too and so, could play the General Worm;
- An earnest desire to make the audience laugh;
- Wanting to have more than one line.
The play ended with us singing ‘A Whole New World’ and, indeed, it was a whole new world of knowing the joys of playing an earthworm. And of that filling my family and friends with love, pride and joy at the recital.
