Christopher’s Angle – November 2020
When I was in fourth grade, I performed in my first musical theater production on a real stage in front of real people. All fourth, fifth and sixth-grade students at Jacksonville Elementary participate in the school play each year. I was in the ensemble, a monkey, in The Lion King, Jr. The stage I performed on was the Britt Stage. Keep in mind that the Britt Stage is a place where very famous artists often perform. My parents take me and my brothers to several shows every year (except 2020, but that’s another story…) Anyhow, it is a high-quality stage, equipped with professional sound, lighting, and crew members, so when I got the chance to be in a show there, I was pumped. I immediately thought of myself as some “professional actor” or “movie-star” (I had no lines nor solos.) I had never been more excited, even though I was still in the phase of being scared to sing in front of other people. The experience inspired me.
After performing in The Lion King, Jr, I decided that I loved musical theater. The next year, I auditioned for and was cast as Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. I was only a fifth-grader and had been given the opportunity to speak and dance and sing in front of thousands of people! It took a lot of work, but eventually I memorized all of my lines. When I took the stage as Scarecrow for the first time, standing stiff, because my character was supposed to, but also from fear and excitement, watching the audience curiously waiting for me to say something, I felt this sense of calm come over me. For some reason, I just slipped into the shoes of my character and just acted and sang my heart out.
When The Wizard of Oz concluded, I felt like I was the king of the world. I had adults (yes, adults!) telling me that I did a great job; my friends thought I was the coolest person on the planet, and my parents were very proud. I loved feeling the result of hard work and persistence.
A few months later, I auditioned for my first TMTO show (Teen Musical Theater of Oregon). I was cast as Simba in The Lion King, Jr, a show that I had already done! In one year, I had gone from monkey to Simba. After that show, I did another, and another, and so on. I have performed in seven TMTO shows and hope to appear in many more in the future.
Every time I step on a stage, I feel free. The Britt Stage helped me find that freedom. Giving students the opportunity to perform at a world-class venue is life changing. It changed my life. From seeing the incredible Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Michael Franti (we attend his concert every year) to my dad being forced to sing with the hilarious Weird Al Yankovic, I always am in awe of how amazing it is that I had the chance to perform on that same stage. Thank you to my Jacksonville Elementary School music teacher and director, Mrs. Wendi Stanek, for making music so cool and fun, and the beautiful Britt Stage in Jacksonville for helping shape a large part of who I am.
Christopher is a freshman at St. Mary’s High School and a graduate of Jacksonville Elementary School. He’s an accomplished musical theater student, a dedicated, multi-sport athlete…he’s also a big and little brother and has been composing creative stories and graphic novels since he could hold a pencil.