Krista Nelson - Stagecraft, Prof. Ed Baker, 20 Jan 12.

The first show I ever performed in was a little musical written by my elementary-school music teacher. It was called 'The Rusty Pelican', I was in fifth grade, and I was cast as an audience member, which meant that all I had to do was sit onstage and pretend to eat and drink as the show-within-a-show went on. Auditions were held during music class - we had to sing a few bars of 'Silent Night', then do a little dance. What kind of dance was irrelevant; she just wanted to see our abilities. I sang for her, but I didn't want to make a fool out of myself by dancing in front of my class (I knew I couldn't dance well), so I refused. It was the first role I didn't get (and the first one I tried out for), and I was devastated. I didn't even realize how many roles I would get turned down for later on. The first show I ever saw live was a production of 'The Music Man', put on by Independence Children's Summer Theatre in Independence, KS. I loved the music, the plot, the atmosphere of being in the theatre - everything was amazing to me. I wanted so badly to be in a show. It was the summer before I was to enter eighth grade, and I was twelve years old. During my eighth grade year, I went to five more shows, in both Iola and Independence, because I loved the theatre so much. Our middle school didn't do plays, so I never got the chance to perform in Iola. When I started high school, my freshman drama teacher immersed me in the art of theatre. He showed us the motion picture of 'West Side Story', he took us to see Emporia State's 'Little Shop of Horrors', he made us get up and perform improvisation with very little time to prepare, and he taught us to be gracious about not getting the right roles. He was fair he cast only those who would do the best jobs, and he didn't pretend someone was great if they weren't - but he was still friendly to everyone and tried to help you improve, rather than just telling you 'no'. His love for theatre inspired me, and when I moved to El Dorado as a

junior, I decided that I was going to audition for everything that I could. During my junior year of high school, I was cast in three shows - 'Ragweed Cowboy Joe', 'Rumpelstiltskin', and 'Alice in Wonderland'. The last two shows were children's shows, which meant that we got to go around to all five of the grade schools and perform for the kids. My sisters were in elementary school at the time, so I loved performing for them and I loved having an audience. I loved being onstage, even if that 'stage' was the gymnasium floor in a grade school. As a senior, I performed in 'High School Musical' and 'Wildcats on Broadway', both of which were absolutely phenomenal experiences. For 'High School Musical', we sold out our 1,000-seat auditorium every performance, and we got amazing reviews. It made me want to pursue theatre even further. I think I've known what I wanted to do since my freshman year of high school. After that first week of Beginning Drama in 2007, there was no way I could do anything but theatre. There have been plenty of times where I've been frustrated and wanted to give up, but I can't imagine doing anything else. I used to get a feeling in my stomach every time I stepped onstage. Now, I get that feeling onstage, backstage, in the audience, in the dressing room, in Wilner commons, in the Scene Shop, at the Welsbacher. WSU has strengthened my love for theatre so much, and I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am. I've always felt that the song "There's No Business Like Show Business" from 'Annie Get Your Gun' expressed my love for the theatre, and I still feel that way. The costumes, the scenery, the make-up, the props, everything. I can't imagine a life where I'm not involving myself with as much theatre as possible. My goal, ultimately, is to do a show in New York City. Anywhere in NYC. I've been there once, for a week, and I'd like to live there someday. It's breath-taking, beautiful, and when we saw 'The Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway, I bawled my eyes out. It wasn't just the show, it was the atmosphere - the same one that overpowers me whenever I walk into the Wilner

auditorium. I know some performers that think they're above the technical aspect of theatre, i.e. lighting, sound, and run crew. I don't see how they can possibly have this mindset, as I've always helped with anything available to me, and I love being on run crew for shows. I'll be a stagehand or scene shifter for literally any show, because I love the environment and I love the people I get to work with. If I'm not cast, it doesn't break my heart - it just means I get to work backstage, which is sometimes more fun that being onstage. To sum up this whole ramble of disconnected thoughts in one sentence, I love theatre more than anything. Theatre is my entire life, as is the stage, and I'm so excited to see what the rest of my years at WSU have in store for me.