By Josephine Norris, Photo Editor.
It’s been a long day at school and by 6 p.m. I feel like a slug. However, as I step into the theatre, my mood dissipates and I feel myself become charged with the adrenaline that thespians live for. I shed my coat, settle into a chair and look at myself. In a few short minutes, I go from Josie Norris, the too busy college student, to Violet Peterson, the flirt of Bedford Falls with mile long lashes and a flirty smile.
The show “It’s a Wonderful Life” at Pit and Balcony Theatre marks my second time playing the role of Violet. The first was five years ago when a newly tall and even more awkward Josie stepped onto the stage for the first time and never wanted to leave.
College, however, has made it hard to be a part of a show and I since then I’ve found other ways to satisfy my craving for the theatrical. In the past year I have reviewed around 14 different theatrical productions for the Delta Collegiate. As I sat and watched each of these shows, I critically examined them and was inspired by the different ways that theater can be done. I also witnessed marvelous actors, a few of whom I am now working alongside at Pit and Balcony to bring this show to wonderful life.
It’s been a very interesting transition from reviewer and back to actor. I feel that my time as a reviewer has broadened my theatrical horizons and inspired me in many ways. I see pieces of the characters from past performances and it reminds me of the beauty of theater: you carry the characters with you through other theater endeavors. I remember the way Sally Bowles in “Cabaret” seductively sashays her way across the stage and the way Masha in “Vanya, Sonia and Masha and Spike” is really insecure deep down below her superficial confidence and beauty. I take those attributes and I channel them. I have taken pieces of these characters with me to Bedford Falls and as a result the character of Violet is even more vibrant than before.
I climb the steps to the wings opening night and think of all those times I almost fell asleep in math class, moments where I questioned whether or not I had time to sneak in a nap before rehearsal or whether or not it was worth it to give up the fragment of a social life I had before auditioning. But as I exit the stage—after not just making it through a scene but slaying it—I begin to feel the adrenaline wash over me.
So, to the college thespian living on a latte and a prayer, it is worth it. One day the production will be over and you can get your sleep and social life back, but you may miss theater more than you know.
