Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 16, 1991 TAG: 9103160169
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TAMMY POOLE NEWSFUN EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Thirty-three pupils were chosen from more than 100 pupils who auditioned for the musical last fall. To be eligible, a pupil had to be in grades 5-9.
Competition was tough.
"I've been performing since I was 2," said 14-year-old Melissa Bryant from Franklin County High School.
Melissa is one of four pupils from Franklin County who make the 35-mile commute to Roanoke for "I Believe In Make Believe."
"We carpool here," said the ninth-grader, who plays the queen in "The Princess Who Wouldn't Laugh" - one of the five Brothers Grimm fairy tales in the musical.
"I'm also the understudy for the rooster in the Bremen Town Musicians. I'm the queen for 12 performances and the rooster for two," she said.
Auditions were in October. The pupils have been rehearsing the musical since mid-January. They rehearse three times each week, for about three hours each time.
"I love the long hours and memorizing the lines," Melissa said. "People ask me how I find free time to do what I want to do. This is what I want to do."
"This is the last year I'm eligible for the Junior League plays," said Melissa, who said she wants to be an actress when she graduates from college. "It's something I've always wanted to do since I was real little."
Melissa has been in several plays, even two at the same time. "I was in the Wizard of Oz and the Junior League play. At the same time, I was trying to make a record. That was kinda hard," she said.
She's also a cheerleader.
"In my family, school comes first. If my grades slip, I have to stop acting."
Another veteran performer in the musical is 14-year-old Drew Dowdy, who has been acting since he was 5.
Drew said he's not really sure why he likes acting. "Let's just say it's something I've gotten accustomed to," the eighth-grader said. "It's fun getting bossed around by overbearing people. Put that down - I want my teacher to see that," he said, laughing.
Drew attends William Ruffner Junior High where he is in the magnet school's performing arts division.
In spite of his experience, Drew said he gets stage fright all the time.
"If I was perfectly calm, I probably couldn't act. The tension keeps me on edge so I'm able to perform better," he said.
In addition to the Junior League play, Drew has acted in other Mill Mountain performances as well as Showtimer productions and school plays.
"I play the guitar and I'm very interested in music - that's why I like musicals," he said. "Acting takes up a lot of my time. Other than that, my life is dull and boring," he said.
Drew said he often has nightmares that he will forget his lines during a performance. "I dream that I blank out or say lines from another play. If that ever happens, I just hope my fellow actors will be able to ad lib."
Working with pupils from area schools has been part of the fun of the Junior League's play, said Drew. "It's been great working on this play. I've made several new friends."
"I Believe In Make Believe" is Louie Landry's first performance.
"I've wanted to act because I think it is fun," said the sixth-grader at Glenvar Elementary School. "The long hours don't bother me that much."
Louie plays the part of a robber in the "Bremen Town Musicians" and also is the drummer in "The Princess Who Wouldn't Laugh."
Louie said he didn't have much difficulty learning his lines because "I don't have very [many]. The singing part is fun, and I like getting to be on stage."
Since Louie's acting career began, he said some of his friends like to tease him. "They act like they are producers or directors," he said.
Veteran actor Liz Rodriguez, a fourth-grader at North Cross Elementary School, is too young for this year's performance. She wants to be in the Junior League's plays as soon as she is eligible.
Her mother, Patricia Rodriguez, is a member of the Junior League.
"I was doing runway commercials when I was 16 months old," said the 9-year-old actress. "I started acting for Showtimers at age 4. They would tell me what I was supposed to do, and I would do it."
Liz said acting is a lot like playing pretend when you are little. "I think that's one of the reasons I like acting."
Starting young also has kept her from getting stage fright, she said. "I think a good actress has to know what she's doing. Most anybody can do it. Once you know how, I think it's very easy to do."
The biggest problem is getting to performance on time and juggling school work with rehearsals, Liz said. "Sometimes it's hard. You have to learn your lines and do homework during rehearsals. It usually isn't that bad, though."
The musical is directed by Julie White with music director Lisa Johnson, both of whom are teachers at the Westside Elementary School of Performing Arts.
Acting teaches kids discipline as well as giving them self-confidence and self-esteem, White said. "They also meet lots of new friends. Very few of them go to the same schools. They are from Roanoke, Roanoke County, Salem and Franklin County schools."
White said the thing first-timers discover is "the amount of preparation. I think that really surprised them," she said.
Johnson said many of the actors have to sing solos and all the characters have to learn choreography (dance steps) as well as being able to sing in front of a crowd. "Musicals are harder, but the majority of kids here have been in plays before. Some of them also are in the Roanoke College Choir or have sung in other choirs or plays."
Both teachers say they enjoy working with kids.
"I think children are more receptive to trying new things," Johnson said.
White agreed. "Kids are more coachable. They respond to directions well, unlike some adults who think they know it all."
"I Believe In Make Believe," was written by Carol Lynn Pearson. Presented during the play are five fairy tales by Brothers Grimm in a musical setting. The tales include "The Princess Who Wouldn't Laugh," "The Elves and The Shoemaker," "The Breman Town Musicians," "Seven Soldiers," and Simpleton the dunce.
Performances are Friday at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 10 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1:30, 3:30 and 5:30.
Tickets cost $1 for children and $2 for adults and are on sale at the Mill Mountain Box Office. For more information, call 342-5740.
The play is sponsored by the Junior league of the Roanoke Valley Virginia Inc. in conjunction with Mill Mountain Theatre.
by CNB