Behind the Scenes: ‘The Story’ in first person


By Hasheem Brin
Staff Writer
The Hillside Chronicle
Hillside High School

 

Editor’s Note: This story appeared originally in The Hillside Chronicle, the school newspaper of Hillside High School, which is led by journalism teacher Elizabeth DeOrnellas. The Durham VOICE is proud to serve as a mentoring partner to The Hillside Chronicle.

My parts in the Hillside production of The Show were Hugh and the Conductor. They are both characters that are white people, and I brought them alive on stage.

Hasheem Brin, Hillside Chronicle columnist

At first, I would have to act out a scene with my peers. I was yelling at them, even though I wouldn’t really yell at them in real life. At first it was hard, but then I got used to it.

As an actor, I have to separate the two.

On the first day of the show, I was really nervous. But what I do before I get on stage is to get into character and bring the scene to life. As the people were coming in before the show opened and before I got on stage to do my part, I was trying to put on a mad face.

I was feeling really shaky, like everything was moving in slow motion.
But as I got on the stage, I left that person behind. I was just a character.

After I did my scene, it was a relief. After each scene I finished, it was more of a relief, but I knew that another scene was coming up, and I had to get ready for that.

It’s a good feeling to be somebody else and to bring someone to life. As an artist, that’s what I like to do.

On the curtain call, all of the characters froze after we took a bow. What I liked about the department is that we do professional theater, and we have a family bond.

The department has helped me express myself through acting and it gives me more of a taste of what professional theater is like. I’ve built bonds in the theater, and our director, Wendell Tabb, is a good director to work with.

I appreciate that he teaches us a lot.