It was a simple box ad. At least, that’s how I remember it. A lot of shows have passed through my brain since I saw that ad. Yet, that ad is significant because that ad is what set it all off.

It was an audition notice for Anne of Green Gables: The Musical.

Now, it wasn’t that I was a big Anne fan. I wasn’t a fan at all to be honest. However, since I had dabbled in acting and writing from time to time, it did hold some interest for that reason.

Still, I brushed off its gentle call.

My sister, however, did not. She was the big Anne fan in the family and so was one of my other relatives. My sister was the one most interested in being a part of this experience though and since she didn’t want to attend the audition alone, she put pressure on me and that certain relative to go along.

“Just come along for the company,” that’s one of the ploys she used to try and persuade me.

I kept on resisting but long story short, we finally agreed to go along. It was a bitterly cold January night and it would be good to have company while traveling you see.

We arrived at the theater and were promptly sent down to the waiting room.

It was pretty crowded down there! Apparently there were a quite a few people in world who appreciated Anne. My nerves were whispering that that there was still time to escape. However, I was there, so I filled out the form I was given and waited reluctantly for my turn to audition.

Finally it was my turn, I walked alone onto a bare stage and the director asked me to sing a song. A song? My goodness. I wasn’t much into singing. However, I was standing there on stage, so why not sing a song? Being young and foolish, I said I’d sing Happy Birthday.

So I sang that wonderful song without accompaniment as the producer, director, and a camera captured every classic moment.

With our individual auditions complete, we went back home and waited for the results of our efforts.

It took a few weeks. I had almost convinced myself that I was safe, I hadn’t been chosen. Then, came the day when a pair of letters arrived in the mail. They had official looking return addresses on them and they looked pretty important. So, naturally, we opened them as soon as possible.

In an ironic twist, me and my relative had been cast in the production while my sister had not. She was a bit disappointed but she did get a crew position so she was still able to participate in the action.

I was surprised and stressed out as I realized the magnitude of what I had gotten into. Yet, I was in it, so I began practicing…whipping my voice into shape for the months of singing before me. It was a workout I wasn’t quite used to…I’ve attached a bit of a rehearsal order sheet from earlier on in the production.

Indeed I was in way over my head. Most of the other cast and crew were highly experienced and knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing while I didn’t have the slightest idea. However, I didn’t want to be left in the dust, so I kept practicing my songs and my lines every single day in an effort to keep up. Eventually the show opened…and we discovered that every performance had been sold out ahead of time.

As the run carried on, the line ups started earlier with every performance. At least that’s what we could see from our positions backstage. The shows themselves got standing ovations and rave reviews. It was a thrilling experience. It was something I had never been through before and looking back on it now, I’m pretty sure it changed my life.

It was a tough slog. Our director was kind but very strict. A phrase she gave us during one of her many lectures has stuck in my mind ever since. “You know, people are spending their hard earned money to see you!” She would say, just before she went on to make the point that we as performers shouldn’t waste our audience’s time and money. Valuable advice! Advice I’ve been known to give myself these days. Yet even though it had it’s tough moments, that production was where I realized that I really was interested in the whole theater experience after all…and after the run of Anne was completed I began wondering if there might be another show out there that I could be a part of…

So, let that be a lesson, your best friend may be the one who pushes you out of your comfort zone and into a whole new world.

Who knows, your best friend might even be your sister.

…to be continued…