Circa 1998. My grand entrance in the last play I ever acted in. Written by our Junior High School drama teacher and titled Beating the System, I played the role of Mercury A: the side in constant sunlight and thus had a “fried” demeanor, leaving me speaking in groovy rhymes. It was a story of love, judgement, musical numbers and a kiss between Earth and Moon that had all us newly welcomed to teenagedom howling oooooooooooh during rehearsals.

Perhaps if it weren’t for a discouraging High School drama teacher the following year, I might still have wanted a life on the stage. He found most of my acting and one pantomime in particular to be offensive, thus my acting years were cut short.

It’s fine, I knew I always liked being the boss, which is why in Elementary school I used to go to the Los Angeles Public Library and find plays to put on. I mainly settled on American Girls scripts (Samantha was my favorite fellow brunette), though I once tried to pull together a production of Oliver Twist in 6th grade. Auditions were held during lunch, and practice after school. Then the popular kids stole my idea and that was the end of that. I hope they’re all overweight now. I kid, kind of. 

Ahhhh the 90s. 

10 June 2