3.7 Jaylin A Midsummer's Night Dream Opening Night

I tried out for A Midssummer’s Night Dream on my senior year of high school. I hadn’t done a play before and as I waited in line nervously, I knew I just had to try what I’ve been wanting to try for years. I auditioned and did the best to my knowledge and my nerves just disappeared. I walked out nervous on results, but auditioning was over. With a slow, long breath, I went home.

“We’ll see who the cast members are in a few days,” Mr. Risinger said. “They’ll be posted on my door.”

Days later the cast list went up. I nervously went to check the sheet. My mind slowly read the sheet of characters.

“No, no, no,” I thought to myself as I glanced. My blood pumped loudly in my ears as I kept looking until I saw my name.

“Jaylin Kue --- Snug”

A wave of relief and happiness swirled inside me. I was starting to smile and tried to contain my excitement. I pulled away from the crowd and gave myself a reassuring, I knew I could do it, and went home. I beamed with excitement as I told my parents and two sisters that I got a part in the play and that I would be at school practicing.

The first day of practice, directors Risinger and Schultz, laid out their theme idea out for the cast members.

“We’re going to do a modern theme,” Mr. Risinger said.

“But there won’t be any modern lines. It’ll a be in Shakespearean,” Mr. Schultz added.

With a modern theme, we all set out to learn our lines. I racked my brain trying to learn the lines and stage placements throughout the story.

Opening night came and we put on the show. The story follows a wedding that’s going to be taking place there. Hermia, one of the many characters, has two suitors, Lysander and Demetrius. She loves Lysander and over the course of the play, is tossed into a quarrel between the king and queen of the fairies, Oberon and Titania. Titania tells Puck, one of the fairies, to give Oberon a love potion and the play becomes a confusion of love between the main characters.

While this is all happening the workers, Peter Quince, Francis Flute, Robin Starveling, Tom Snout and Snug plan a play to throw for Theseus’s marriage celebration. The group of workers is shown gradually planning the play until in the end, it happens.

Quince plays Prologue, Flute plays a young girl in love with a high squeaky voice, Starveling plays Moonshine, Snout plays the Wall that divides the two lovers and Snug plays a lion.

While this horrible play is taking place, I’m in a lion’s outfit with whiskers and a tail connected by my pants. I walk out, nervous, and woo the crowd with my purr and recite my monologue with confidence. Everyone laughs and it turns out Snug is great at acting!

Opening day ended shortly afterwards with cheers and the cast coming to give a final bow.