Since I started school I have always been involved with productions. In primary, it was mandatory that all grades participated in the event, each class taking on a different ensemble role. It wasn’t until I watched my first musical Le mis when I was in grade 4 that I started to take an interest in the art. My first musical was Peter Pan, where I played Captain Hook alongside my close friend Ben as Peter pan. It was an unforgettable experience that shaped one of the biggest passions I follow today, performance.

 

When I heard there was a high school musical this year, the first one since covid I was elated. However I was slightly taken aback at first, the musical was a little shop of horrors. I had heard of it, a few songs here and there. I had it in my mind that I wanted to play a lead role, someone who I could relate with and portray their story. The main character Seymour, I had my reservations at first with his slightly dorky, awkward but loving personality. Nevertheless, I gave it a shot. It was hard to relate with his character when preparing for auditions, mainly because It had been a while since I had last wanted to act in such a demanding role. However, my perceptions of this one dimensional character were shattered once I heard the song “ Git it”. This song was world changing, a fast upbeat rock song with jazz undertones but harsh raspy vocals, I fell in love.

From that point I was committed, I bought a pair of glasses, used a tin of biscuits to act as the plant, wrote answers to questions as if I was Seymour. The day of the audition, I stepped into the room confident, but as soon as I stepped in I had to remind myself, I was no longer Akhil. I was Seymour, a young botanist waiting to explore the possibilities of the future. I pulled out my glasses, placed the tin on the stand and sang the song “ Grow for me”. I went through the chosen extract, and walked out. I felt confident, relieved. I was less relaxed when I wasn’t called for a callback,

 

“ Did I not fit what they wanted? Did I do too much with the glasses?”

 

My mum calmed me down, assured me that they didn’t call me back because they were so sure I fit the role. I was skeptical, but my mum is rarely wrong, and that trend continued with this hunch. I HAD GOT THE ROLE. I was ecstatic, I got the lead in my final senior Musical. I knew it had to be memorable, one that people would talk and murmur about for the years to come, the Little Shop of Horrors. I wanted it to remind the audience of a life changing experience, the same way I felt mesmerized with Les Misérables.

 

The 3 months went fast, a cliché thing to say but I can’t find a better way to put it. Between juggling the DP1 workload, SAISA volleyball, and other extracurriculars it was a lot to cope with. But I never felt that the rehearsals were draining, maybe because of my love of acting, music, the cast and its directors, each rehearsal had a unique experience tied with it. The cast consisted of a large ensemble and 5 named roles, Seymour ( myself), Sofia as the plant, Ethan as the Dentist, Naomi as Audrey, and Chirath as Mr. Mushnik.

Chirath and myself have been acting together since Peter Pan, my first musical and it almost seemed fitting that he was playing my father figure in our last musical together. I respect him a lot, in terms of his work ethic, ability to act and also his personality. It was emotional, knowing this would be the last OSC musical I do with him, but we both smiled through it knowing it wouldn’t be the last time we performed together. 

 

After tireless evenings, running through lines till I accidentally spoke them during mealtimes, singing the same songs  so many my dogs would join in, the first night finally came. 

 

Nerves, it had been a while since I felt the pre-stage nerves. Cold sweat, bright light, the annoying sensation of the mic pack on my back, the antenna gently grazing my skin with every step. The third bell rang, the house lights turned off and the spotlight came up gradually on the center stage. I stood backstage, drank my final sip of honey tea, and put on my glasses. For the next 1 and half hours, I had the chance to live the life of someone else, to detach myself from any issues of my own and adopt those of someone new, Seymour. I would be lying if I said I could recall every detail of the performance, before I knew it I was lying on the ground getting violently assaulted by Sofia in my death scene ( sorry for the spoilers).

It was, over? The first night just like that? I walked backstage to greet the delighted faces of my other cast members, we took our bows and it was done, the first night, a huge success. The following 2 nights were just as successful, they went by fast, too fast. I felt satisfied, but at the same time empty. The months of work had paid off, but for some reason I couldn’t help suppress that imminent loneliness. 

 

In the weeks that followed, we had a few newspaper articles written by us, glowing reviews from Drama Sri Lanka who stated it was  one of the best productions they saw that year, my jaw was on the floor reading that sentence. Even now I can’t forget that feeling of pure joy that followed the performances, the rush of being on stage and experiencing someone else’s life as if it was your own. I can’t let go of that feeling, and even though there won’t be another musical in school before I graduate, this musical showed me that theater is something I have to pursue even after highschool.