I’m sure I’m not alone in making my senior bucket list. I’ve started it multiple times since freshman year, and all attempts have remained unfinished. It goes something like this: 1) Paint the cannon 2) Get my black belt 3) Everything else. I know I can’t do “everything else,” but my objective for this semester is simply to try things I’ve always wanted to do. I mean, I’m not about to go test out what it’s like being a mechanical engineer, but I can do a few other things. I’m kicking that list off with an attempt at acting.
My last acting gig didn’t go too hot—it was sixth grade and I was in Oklahoma! along with most of my class. It was a nightmare. I got the DVD afterwards and it’s painful to watch. It’s clear that even at 12 years old, I didn’t know my left from my right. It wouldn’t be so bad if I were in the back, but the short kid goes in the front and that short kid was me. And I can’t act. So that’s why I’m in a play.
But it’s not what you think. I’m still not center stage. I’m just there as a monster. The play is called “She Kills Monsters” and it’s based on Dungeons and Dragons, so there have to be monsters. The opportunity came when one of my friends signed on to do fight choreography. He’s got a black belt in kung fu, and he’s absolutely the person you’d want doing this kind of stuff. There are all sorts of weapons, punches, kicks, and throws, and he needed people to get hit.
That’s where I come in. A few times during the play, I run out, throw a few fake kicks, get whacked upside the head, and fall down dead. I think I’m on stage for maybe 45 seconds total, and in those 45 seconds I get killed twice. I have no lines or anything, just two dramatic deaths. But I'm totally okay with it because it’s not really about stage time. It’s just about meeting new people and trying new things while I still can. I’m never going to be a professional actress, but until then, it’s a good life being a monster.