Chapter 9: romeo and juliet
Acting is the art of portraying a character convincingly on stage or screen. It involves embodying the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of a character to create a believable performance. Acting requires a combination of skill, talent, and dedication to effectively convey the character's intentions and emotions to the audience.
In many ways, acting does require courage. It's about stepping out of your comfort zone, embracing vulnerability, and putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Actors often have to perform in front of large audiences or in front of a camera, which can be intimidating. They also have to take risks with their performances, exploring complex emotions and situations.
The middle school theater department has been working for half a year to complete the classic Shakespearean play: Romeo and Juliet. During the audition for roles, Billy auditioned twice, and on the second try, he landed the role of Romeo's enemy, a Capulet named Tybalt. Due to his acting skills highlighted by the interpretation system, Billy could be considered the cream of the crop, in terms of middle school standards, but his shyness was a trait that didn't go unnoticed. It was due to his limited participation in previous performances that he didn't have much attention from his teachers and was merely a backdrop.
The teacher who directed the play, was Mr. Clarens, a Spanish teacher in the final grade of middle school. The haughty attitude of the characters, as well as their Victorian postures of straight backs from English culture, about nobility and formal education of etiquette measured in small gestures, he attended four group etiquette classes to perfect this traditional baroque performance for a total of two hundred dollars.
An expense funded by his father! but ultimately provided by the sale of comics. Unnecessary, as Thomas Carson would say.
The classes already adjusted to the tight schedule of a young man crossing eighth grade and drawing almost four hours every day. He learned about the representative greetings that should be offered to gentlemen and ladies, the courtesy titles, and some protocols to be observed at the table, postures, meanings, gestures, traditions, and how not to fail in the attempt.
Billy woke up early, with the cloudy day on the horizon, but it didn't dampen his enthusiasm to continue practicing his usual lines.
In front of a mirror, he observed his face, his features, and everything he showed to the camera.
...
-Why are you drawing your swords? Benvolio, do you want to see your death?" BENVOLIO. - "I'm putting them to peace. Sheathe yours, and don't look for imaginary enemies."
He hastened as he walked with short steps, instilling in his heart the feeling of a tiger, ready to spit out Benvolio's words, his brow furrowed. - thought Billy.
-Speak to me of peace when I have a sword in hand! More hateful to me is such a word than hell itself, more than Montague, more than you. Come, coward. -
He continued reciting his lines one after another.
His words were rough, and he imitated the gait of someone desperate for a forgotten crusade, for an enemy, adjusting his tone of voice to be deep, although it wasn't allowed. He tried to align his feelings with the despair of a family feud, of a hatred born from the cradle instilled by his parents, a hatred that reminded him of the arrogant lords who scorned their enemies, those of the lower class, the vagabonds. Billy immersed himself in the foreign feeling of the ignorance of the noble of 1600, taking his path, for acting was inventing.
-By the voice he seems a Montague. (To the Servant.) Bring me my sword. How dare that villain come masked to disturb our feast? I swear by the bones of my lineage that without a shred of guilt, I will take his life. -
-He is surely a Montague, sworn enemy of my house, who has come here to mock our feast. -
His words came out with anger and fury.
I could only reread the lines until the moment they got out of the car; some words of encouragement from his father were heard in the distance as he entered the grand theater of the school, at least for about 300 people. They arrived just in time to enter the dressing room and prepare for their big night.
-My dear Juliet, - he mentioned to Hanna Parks, one of the main faces of the theater club. - Today, the voices will acclaim your beauty, - said Billy, as a soft bow gestured in his steps.
Hanna only hummed softly. - You flatter me, - she said.
She wore a green and gray costume, the colors representing the Capulets, while the Montagues wore a brownish-red, emblematic of Romeo's passions.
Exiting character, Hanna took a seat beside Billy.
-It's nice to see you too, Bill. I'm nervous; it's the first time I have the lead role, and I'm afraid of messing up any lines, - Hanna replied.
-You'll do great, - the young man added, sitting beside her. Seeing Hanna's watery eyes, he continued his conversation.
-The teacher explained that no matter what if we make a mistake, the grace is not to step out of character, although I don't think it'll happen to you. You were perfect in Friday's practice, - Billy concluded.
-It's not that; it's just the shame that doesn't wash away. I'm afraid of blanking out, - Hanna commented.
Not far from Billy's feelings.
-I'll get a glass of water; I'll see you in a bit, - Billy said, exiting the dressing room, needing to have a glass of water.
Among the theater club, two people boasted potential futures: Hanna and perhaps Mauricio Diaz, who played Friar John. He had a warm aura when performing, which gave him a certain air of talent that the other schoolchildren didn't possess, even though only in eighth grade, the difference was already apparent. However, it's not very common for many children to be supported in acting; the field is only loved from afar.
Billy's acting career was built on methodical study and the points of the system, which gave him a talent that only years of practice achieved for other people. But it wasn't just the work; there was something deeper, his ability that stood out above ordinary people, like an athlete acquiring a deeper talent than his competitors, an innate talent. The invaluable ability that a genius manages to locate in just two hours takes others twice or three times as long to achieve the same result with a little effort.
Billy's POV.
The red curtain displayed the children's faces; the gentle voice of the social studies teacher, who served as the off-screen narrator for this play, sounded. She announced the participants and the roles each one assumed in a sample. She positioned each scene or star act so that the audience wouldn't get lost, as well as so that the children wouldn't lose the rhythm of each scene.
It was a fragrant night of panic, in the nervousness of the performances. In front of an audience, artistic capabilities were reduced to fragrant fear imposed by the gazes; even with experience, the desires to give a good show were overshadowed by that incomprehensible thing for our brains, in this case, the awakening of a new sought-after and yearned-for profession. It might have been the deep-seated fears marginalized in life that what was new contained a high value of learning difficulty. Or it was my soft character speaking, deep within my numerous falls.
He stuttered his lines forcefully, the best he could; if there were a recording, people would mock it. What panic to be in front of an audience observing everyone from afar.
In one moment, it was the lines; in the next, time passed like lightning. He only reacted to the red curtain closing. His journey to the car felt extinguished.
-I think you did fine, son, -Thomas added.
-Hmm... I was terrible. At least I could sustain the small dialogues between each scene. I wouldn't say it was perfect. I just feel like I could have done better than I expected, - the boy finished, feeling discouraged.
-Well, in a few days, you'll get over it. I'm sure you'll make it. Watching E.T. isn't about getting discouraged; just keep doing what you're doing, - Thomas replied.
It was my first scene.
1. Shakespeare introduced and popularized many words and phrases into the English language through his plays, and "Romeo and Juliet" is no exception. Some of the popular words and phrases introduced by Shakespeare in this play include "in love", "crossed star", "love is blind", and "winged departure".
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