A New Perspective by Peyton

A New Perspective by Peyton - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

Though I could never see the standing ovations from my stakeout backstage, the overwhelming surge of applause after each show made the endless hours of hard work and dedication worth it. Just months before, however, the sound of loud cheers was replaced with the monotonous tone of a heart rate monitor. Little did I know, recovering from surgery would be one of the most challenging and humbling events that I have experienced.

During September of sophomore year, the Flower Mound High School Theatre Department produced Mamma Mia!. I practiced the audition cuts and dances every day, hoping to be in the ensemble of the musical. After months of practicing for the initial audition, I stepped into the judge’s room and performed. The results were released just weeks later. As I scanned the cast list, I realized that I would not be performing onstage in the show, so I had submitted a last-minute application to be involved in the set crew. I had never participated in technical theatre, so I signed up in hopes of making new friends, all while picking up a few new skills that could be useful to me in the future. Fortunately, I soon found my name on the extensive list of Set Crew students.

The following months were spent building wooden platforms, designing furniture, and painting sets with my new friends. This all changed, however, when a hyperextended grand jeté in contemporary dance class tore my meniscus. Not only was I benched from dance, but I could no longer climb ladders or stand long enough to help build the sets. In late November, I had knee surgery. Though the injury itself was devastating, recovery from surgery took a greater toll on my mentality, as I was forcefully taken from a sport and an art form that fulfilled my creative, competitive, and compassionate personality. The recovery process was long and difficult, as I juggled school, rehearsal, and physical therapy sessions with my other numerous daily tasks; however, it taught me to have patience, believe in myself, and to let go of the circumstances that I cannot control. Through recovery, I learned to give myself grace, even when I wasn’t recovering as fast or as strong as I wanted to. The injury inspired me to become more flexible and tolerant to unexpected change and to value every opportunity to experience something new.

Rather than give up my role in the musical, I spoke with the Technical Director, who let me transfer to the props crew instead. It was on this crew that I learned what true leadership looked like. Though there were only four of us, we managed to research, locate, and create all of the props for the show. We worked together at all hours of the day- sometimes, we got to school two hours early to search for a particular prop. Others, we worked after sundown on bejeweling microphones.

As time went on, my interest in technical theatre grew. I began to spend all of my free time at work calls: I helped sew costumes, learned how to set up stage lights, painted props, and completed microphone checks. Before I knew it, opening night had arrived. As I stood in the dimly lit backstage, surrounded by elaborately dressed actors and overwhelmingly large set pieces, I realized the impact that the production had on me. My unforeseen experience in technical theatre brought forth a newfound sense of patience, both towards myself and others, in addition to expanding my theatrical curiosity. Though my involvement in the musical definitely did not go as planned, my experience in the props crew ultimately left me with a strengthened sense of flexibility, enhanced communication skills, confidence, and the ability to spot an old, tarnished typewriter in a closet full of ill-assorted props.