Thursday, Jul. 31, 2008

Dream Role

Teens in the Newsroom member Emily Kay Shrader gives a behind-the-scenes look at YES Company's preparation for 'The Wizard of Oz'

Editor's note: Emily Kay Shrader, a junior at Enochs High School and a member of the Teens in the Newsroom program, is playing Dorothy in YES Company's production of 'The Wizard of Oz,' which opens Aug. 8. She kept a journal during the several weeks of rehearsal and is sharing it with Buzzz readers.

Have you ever dreamed of having or doing something, but you never believed it could actually become a reality? Well, this is proof that dreams like that actually can come true.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been obsessed with "The Wizard of Oz." My best friend and I used to always dress up as Dorothy in the blue checkered dress with the little brown basket and stuffed black dog. Just like every little girl dreams of being Cinderella one day, we dreamed of being Dorothy Gale from Kansas.

Last summer, when I found out that the Youth Entertainment Stage Company, a theater company I have been involved with for several years, was going to be performing "The Wizard of Oz" in summer 2008, I thought it was too good to be true. At first, I tried not to be excited about it because I didn't want to get my hopes up. I actually had a chance to play Dorothy Gale on stage? I already knew all the songs by heart … even the ones Dorothy didn't sing! I didn't want to allow myself to believe my childhood dream could actually come true.

I will never forget my audition for the part. It was a Saturday and I showed up at Johansen High School wearing a blue checkered shirt, my hair in braids, holding one of my little sister's stuffed puppies. I watched the movie before I auditioned. I analyzed Dorothy's every move — I listened to Judy Garland sing "Over the Rainbow" countless times and practiced clicking my heels when no one was looking. At that point, I didn't let myself think of what would happen if I didn't get the magical part. A couple of weeks later, I found out I had the part. Now, here I am, and tomorrow is my first day of practice as Dorothy Gale.

How should I describe the first day of rehearsal? Overwhelming. There are over 100 people in our cast and crew! These are some of the nicest people I have ever met. They are so accepting, slow to judge, and optimistic about this summer.

And the little kids are cuter than buttons! I can tell a lot of the younger girls in the cast look up to me as a role model, which feels strange to me because I'm used to being that wide-eyed little girl who admires the older teenager. It feels wonderful to know I can have a positive impact on their lives. I just want to pick them up and squeeze them!

Today, I met the dog who will be playing Toto in our show! His name is Conrad, and it is unbelievable how talented and well-behaved he is. Not only are the people at rehearsal so sweet and incredible, even the dogs are amazing!

The biggest part of the Dorothy costume arrived today — the ruby slippers! But there was just one tiny thing that ruined my excitement — I wear a size 7, and they were a size 13 in kids.

Perhaps the most exciting part of becoming a character is the moment you get to put on your costume for the first time. I had been dreaming about putting on the blue checkered dress for months! The dress was different from what I had imagined, but I can't describe how it felt to finally wear it. Once I put on that dress, I was Dorothy Gale. No longer was I a high school student who was having trouble in math class, I was a girl from Kansas who dreams of what's over the rainbow.