to the High School Musical Dork

Dear High School Musical Dork,

In five years, you are going to be out of your hometown, studying theatre at this great college and doing more theatre than you’ve ever done before in your life (and getting paid to do it too!). And the braces? They really are going to be worth it, even after the first month when you can’t eat anything.

But until then, you’ve got to first get through absolute rock bottom. Your music teacher is going to tell you something though, and you’d better listen to her—your love for theatre is stronger than any rejection. So spend your lunch time practicing in the closet with that old piano anyways. I wish I can write that you’re going to get the lead this year and that you ended up putting together an amazing audition and was accepted into the B.F.A. program at every school you applied too. You’re going to be disappointed, people are going to tell you a long list of things of what you can’t do and you know what? You’re going to end up doing them anyways. It’s going to happen!

I know you are really looking forward to the day you leave home (by the way, the only thing you are allergic to is your hometown. Get three hours away and you’ll never feel better) but in the meantime, start reading more plays (try library loans to make up for the local lack of drama on the shelves) and looking for monologues. The Glass Menagerie is a good one to start with. And don’t stop writing! Write about everything that you do to get ready for the auditions and in a few years, try blogging. And think about minoring in writing? You’re going to realize that creating new works and supporting good causes through theatre are a lot more important (and interesting) and what you really ought to be doing. In five years, you’ve still got a lot of thinking to do about what comes after college although by now, you’ve put enough pieces together to see most of the picture. It’s all going to work out (and I do mean “work”).

Until then, keep writing down your dreams (every morning when you wake up…and when you are bored in math class). Teachers will come and go (and you’ve got some really wonderful ones coming—and a miserable one too), school will end (and for future-me…will end sooner than I like to think about), but you just keep on learning, okay? And wear your retainer!

Love,

The College Theatre Dork

P.S. Keep in mind for future reference, you really, really don’t look good with black hair. Make sure Mom doesn’t try to buy permanent dye. But have you ever thought about cutting it short?