Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

All the World is a Stage

Even as a kid, I wanted to have a part in every play or skit that was being put on. Parent-teacher nights at school always meant that we would have some kind of performance or presentation in the auditorium in front of everyone who was present for the meetings. Summer camps (whether it was a day camp, a scouting overnight, or a weeklong adventure away from home) offered several perfect opportunities for acting in front of an eager audience. And I took every opportunity. It didn’t matter if I played the fool, or was lucky enough to be chosen to portray the heroine, as long as I was in it. When we visited my Aunt and Uncle on the farm (whether it was in the summer, or during the holiday in the cold winter weather), someone would come up with the idea, “Hey, let’s pretend we’re…”, or “Let’s make up a story, and put on a skit for the adults.”. In fact, I can’t remember a single Christmas here at home, that the five of us didn’t put on a Christmas performance of some sort. Often it was the reenactment of the Nativity, but each year it was performed differently. There was always a role for each of us. And when we ran short of someone to play the part of the little lamb, a cow, or even the baby Jesus, our fox terrier dog Fritz was always a ready (reluctantly willing) candidate for the part. To this day, I jump at the chance to be in front of a microphone in a room full of people sharing something with the audience. The only thing I will not do, or at least haven’t done yet, is to sing anything solo on stage. The response that I would expect to come from the listening audience, to a rendition by me of that sort, is enough to quickly put me in the grave with total embarrassment (just thinking of it turns my hair gray!). I have sang with a group, which is just fine as long as I have enough accompaniment to drown out my notes. In my daydreams though, I envision myself as a star-studded, sparkling eyed beauty who gracefully dances and spins her way across the stage capturing the hearts of every single person watching her. Of course, I’ve got a captivating, “to die for” set of vocal cords to absolutely wow the audience with too - “She sounds just like a beautiful songbird!”.

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