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For the past six months, I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of Fremont Christian School’s production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, based on Victor Hugo’s novel and the Disney film of the same name. It was a return to the stage for me, after playing a small role in last year’s Little Women. What was a first for me this year was the scale of my involvement — I was playing the show’s villain, one of its main characters.

It was something that, two years ago, I would have never imagined  myself doing. By the end of my sophomore year, I hadn’t been involved in the school theater department since I’d taken a one-trimester elective class in seventh grade. I had thought about joining stage crew but had never even tried to audition for a role. It was only after the encouragement of a few friends that I decided to sign up for theater class in my junior year, as well as choir. 

Few things helped me grow in confidence as much as my involvement in both choir and theater did. I can’t give enough credit to my choir and theater teachers — Mr. Woll and Mrs. Woll, respectively — for what they taught me. Both have been so incredibly encouraging and supportive of me, and I’ve learned a great deal from both. It was in Mr. Woll’s choir that I learned proper singing technique for the first time, and in Mrs. Woll’s theater class that I learned how to approach character work and have a strong stage presence.

Still, it was a bit intimidating looking at how many lines I had to memorize for my part! Rehearsals were usually spent with me furiously reviewing my script any time I wasn’t acting, going over notes and trying to decide how I would express certain emotions or actions. It paid off, and I was able to focus more on character work and finding the heart behind certain lines.

For all the hard work put into the musical, I also can’t understate how much fun I had along with the other cast members. Every show, I could be found backstage lip-syncing or dancing along to one of the big musical numbers with my friends. During the long stretch of rehearsals leading up to tech week, it wasn’t uncommon for members of the cast to get boba together or pick up McDonald’s for each other. I practically lived off of McDonald’s, Subway, and coffee during the final week of rehearsals. 

All the nerves, all the long days and rehearsals, all ended up paying off during opening night. There’s nothing quite like the mix of nervousness and exhilaration that you get finally performing in front of an audience. And there’s nothing quite like the joyful triumph you feel after you’ve finished your first show. It’s a feeling I’ll miss, since this was my last time on the FCS stage. I’m so incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn from the wonderful Wolls, to get to know so many of my peers so much better, and to have performed in such a wonderful show.