By Kaitlin Manry, Herald Writer
Kaley Trapp throws open the gym door, trying to look confident.
She's been imagining this day for weeks -- years, really -- since her debut as an archeologist in a first-grade play. Now a seventh-grader at Cedarcrest Middle School, she feels destined to be Gretel.
The audition begins.
"Just because you audition doesn't mean you'll be cast," play leader Jennifer Owen says. "We only have a couple of leads in the show and there's a lot of you here."
Kaley sits silently, smiling, hands fidgeting.
Like the 55 other aspiring actors, she has two hours to stand out and be cast in "Hansel & Gretel."
Her plan: be expressive, smile big, speak loud.
But she's nervous; has been all day.
Before school, she raced around with her puppy, Koda, to burn energy. She dressed in a stylish gray Mickey Mouse T-shirt and jeans to look fun.
Now she has to act.
She joins a line of kids, one at a time auditioning for Owen.
"I'm Kaley and I'm 12," she shouts, kicking her legs up.
Again: "Hi, y'all. Whad up? I'm Kaley and I'm 12 years old."
Owen moves a few kids to the front. Kaley stays behind.
An hour later, she sings "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."
She swings her arms and shakes her hips.
She moves up.
"Everybody's so good," Owen says. "You're making my job so hard."
Kaley plays a memory game, reciting a long grocery list.
She remembers everything.
"She's good," Owen whispers to a colleague.
Decisions are being made.
Auditions are over. Now announcements.
Kaley sits cross-legged, clapping as her classmates are cast as nasties, campers and Wallybirds. The only roles left are Hansel, Gretel and the witch and her cadre of cooks.
Kaley is called.
Minutes later, the actress phones her dad.
"I got cook!"
Young actors
Students at Cedarcrest Middle School in Marysville auditioned for "Hansel & Gretel" after class on Sept. 30. Four days later, they performed in the school Commons. The event was organized by The Missoula Children's Theatre, a traveling group that organizes plays at schools.
About this essay
This is part of an occasional series of 300-word essays about school life. If you have a suggestion for the series, contact reporter Kaitlin Manry at 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
