I was asked recently to help with a school production of
Annie Jr. My friend Kevin is the drama teacher
at a local Fine Arts Academy. I met him
about a year ago. He was at a drag show
and we became friends. He wanted some
help with hair and makeup for his play.
The students were in charge of creating a look for each character. I borrowed some wigs from a friend. It really
made the characters looks very professional.
The kids had a four day run. Over all it was six performances. I enjoyed
helping the kids back stage and getting to know the teachers from the
school. There was only one hiccup when a
particular student was resistant to my suggestions. She had some attitude about it. I spoke to
Kevin, the director and he was able to speak to the students. It felt good to
know he had my back. It was resolved
quickly.
We made it through the production without any other
issues. Except with the light went
out. On Saturday, I arrived at 1pm for
the first show. The theater was dark, and it seemed odd. I found one of the teachers, a friendly woman
who was the stage manager for the play.
She told me a car accident nearby, knocked out the power for the nearby
down town area. The theater was on backup
power only. Kids were half in makeup but unfortunately the
2pm show was cancelled. There was some
confusion about if the 7pm would happen. The electric company was working to
restore full power. The kids, who had
been double cast, were willing to let other take the role for the night, because
they had family coming to watch. I thought that was very considerate. I went for a late lunch with friends and by
5pm the power was back on.
I worked with mostly with the principle actors.
I help them don wigs and touch up makeup.
I got to know a few of them, and could tell they were very
talented. As a group the orphans were so
stinking cute. You could tell they put
their hearts into it. The Miss Hannigan
actress was very professional. She had a big personality that really fit the
character. My favorite was the actress
that played Lily. She was so nice backstage and looked so pretty with a face
full of makeup. She let me work on her
wig and it really looked great.
It felt good to show my makeup skills and be among students
who have a similar passion for creating characters and bring it to the
stage. After all that is what drag is to
me. I am an actor too. The fine arts school is amazing. They nurture
the students’ abilities in acting, dance and singing. We didn’t have any schools like this when I
grew up. If they had, I would have
wanted to attend there. I guess not
everyone has those advantages. The
closest I got was being in one act play. I must not have been very good, I only got
minor roles. I wish my teacher had shown
more interest in me. It’s great to see how Kevin relates to his students. The world needs teachers like him. I hope he
is pleased with my help. It was a
learning experience and I enjoyed it.
I have some pictures, but I don't feel I should post them. The students are under 18 and I don't have permission.
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