by Margot '21

I have always had a passion for theater, and I fell in love with Peddie when I went to see my brother perform in the 2016 winter musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” I was in awe of how professional the production was, and I could not believe the talent that these high schoolers possessed. 

Flash forward to fall 2017, my freshman year at Peddie. I was thrilled to be in the freshman musical, “Aladdin Jr.,” and even though I did not have a large role, seeing Geiger Reeves Theater completely packed and feeling the energy of the audience made me feel like I truly belonged.

That spring, I jumped at the chance to be in “Broadway Tonight!,” a musical cabaret that anyone could participate in, even those with zero theater background. Something special about this production was that everyone in the cast was showcased in some way, and for me this meant singing two solos that helped me become more confident and comfortable on stage.

My sophomore year, I was beyond excited to be cast in the winter musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” especially because it allowed me to perform with my brother before he graduated! Being in such a large production was incredible, and I began to consider my castmates as a second family and the Peddie theater as my home away from home.

I continued to pursue theater my junior year when I decided to audition for the fall play, “The Wolves.” Although I was slightly nervous about trying out for my first Peddie play, I was also intrigued by the idea of being in a show without music that would allow me to improve my acting. Because the play is about a girls' soccer team, we not only had an acting audition but a soccer one as well. Anybody who knows me can confirm that I am lacking in the athleticism department, and I would joke that the reason I joined the play was that I did not want to work out! Truthfully though, I gave both parts of the audition my best effort and started to appreciate the opportunity to participate in theater while also experiencing the exhilaration of playing a fall sport.

“The Wolves” follows a high school girls’ indoor soccer team as they warm up for their weekly games. As the play progresses, we watch the girls work together as a team as well as discover their individuality, all while handling the various struggles and pressure of being a teenager. After a few rounds of auditions, I was ecstatic to receive the role of #8, the adorably naive and emotional comedic relief. As #8, I learned how to create a complex character who expressed feelings of grief, embarrassment, outrage, disappointment, pure joy, and everything in between. 

Rehearsing for “The Wolves” came with a slew of challenges, as I had to memorize the rapid overlapping dialogue while simultaneously doing group stretches and soccer drills. On top of this, the experience was uniquely intimate as the cast only included nine girls and the audience sat on stage with us, leaving little room for error. Although this made the process difficult, the final result was extremely rewarding and entirely worth it. Our cast became a close-knit team as the weeks went by, and in the end we were able to create something that I am incredibly proud of. I am so grateful to have been part of such an amazing production, and I look forward to continuing to explore my passion for theater during another unique experience when Peddie stages a radio play this fall!