slumber party
Who I played
what i learned
How i grew
In Slumber Party, I played Shelby. In this two-hander play, former best friends Shelby and Amanda are having a sleepover after being estranged for most of high school. Shelby, who is more socially adept with an element of insecurity under the surface, became a cheerleader and joined the popular group of girls at their school, and Amanda became a quirky loner. Over a game of Scrabble, Shelby and Amanda confront their issues and begin to rebuild their friendship.
I learned that sometimes, it's okay to lean into a joke. In the play, there was a joke about homophones and how "cox" could be misinterpreted as a less family-friendly word, and at first, I worried about overdoing the bit and treating the audience like they didn't get it. However, when I did "overdo it" a little more, the audience had a much stronger reaction. This taught me that even though it's important to know that your audience isn't stupid, there's nothing wrong with selling a joke by being over-the-top, as long as it is true to your character's intentions.
I did this show as a sophomore, and at the time, it was the biggest role that I had done at Booker T, and the first Booker T. show that I performed live onstage. As such, it gave me more confidence with being onstage and showed me that I was capable of doing the thing that I had come to this school for. This gave me confidence for my future auditions. Slumber Party was the push that I needed to keep working and keep auditioning, and I am confident that it is part of the reason why I have had the chance to play so many incredible roles since then.