Dear Rydzeski Hall,
The ways in which you’ve changed my life are too big for words, but I thought I’d try anyway. I’ve learned many things during my time at East Islip High School, but one of the most important things was that there is an undeniable and indescribable strength in its music department and stage productions. I’ve met my greatest friends through these shows, and these great friends have become my family.
My freshman year I didn’t audition for our fall show. I didn’t think I had enough time, with tennis and just getting used to a high school workload. But I had done theater in middle school, and was really looking forward to the spring musical. The time came to audition, and I was more nervous than I had ever been before. My band teacher was in there with two other teachers I had never met, and I was about to sing in front of them. I was really about to sing in front of them and of course, I was following the senior who was guaranteed to get a lead. I was nervous, and it showed. I did not get into that show. After getting cut, I knew I still wanted to be part of the production, so I joined the stage crew. It was absolutely amazing. We would stay there for hours, sometimes until the sun set. We would get dinner through DoorDash, and we had speakers to play music while we built these houses and castles and towers. It wasn’t the same as being in the cast with my friends, but it was its own entirely beautiful experience. But, that was 2020, and that production of Into the Woods was never put on. I was supposed to be the “stage manager in training,” which was a big deal for a tiny little freshman. Of course, we all know what happened that year, but my time with you that year gave me a new appreciation for the work that goes on behind the scenes, and the importance of the people backstage.
My Sophomore year was just as interesting – hybrid schooling was a completely new format that no one knew how to handle, and suddenly you were out of the picture. I again didn’t audition for the fall play, even though it was online, because I was just so scared to be cut again. I joined the Google Classroom for the spring musical Anastasia, but again, I didn’t audition. Instead I got invited to join the Pit Orchestra by my band teacher. It was a lot of hard work, as we only had about two months to learn and rehearse almost an entire show’s worth of music. We had to figure out a way to actually play with the cast, since social distancing kept us out of the actual pit, so we came into school on a Saturday and recorded all of the pieces while spaced out in the cafeteria. It took hours, and we even had a table full of individually wrapped pastries to have throughout the day. I loved being part of the pit, even though it was easily the most stressful part of the productions that I have participated in. The payoff was incredible, and I even got to watch the musical in the auditorium while they recorded it to post for the general public. But it only made me miss you more, and I just wanted to perform again instead of pre-recording what was meant to be a live experience.
The summer before my junior year, I saw a production of Newsies, and realized how much I missed being on stage. That year, I auditioned for the fall play for the first time. Not only did I get a callback, which was a big deal to me, I got in the show and got the part I auditioned for. This was a completely unexpected and incredible accomplishment for me. Not only did I conquer my fear of auditioning in the first place, but I got to do what I loved again. A Christmas Carol was such a fun show to be a part of, and I made a completely new group of friends. Some of them graduated and I am still very close with them. When the play came to a close, I was still very afraid to audition for The Sound Of Music, that year’s musical, and I almost didn’t. Those friends that I made in the play however, convinced me that I should. Again, I got a callback, and I made it into the show. I was ecstatic. I felt like I had come such a long way just by auditioning, but to get in was such a big moment for me. I even got a single line! The director of the show, Mrs. Affelt, eventually also asked me to understudy for three featured parts. I was over the moon. Understudy? For my first time being in the spring musical? It was a moment that was only beaten by the next thing she asked me – would I like to be the student musical director? I couldn’t believe it. She told me that there was only one other student music director in East Islip High School history, and I was so excited and honored to be held in such high regard by a director who I had only recently connected with. That show was once again a memorable experience, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to be on stage again.
Finally, my Senior year was a totally different experience. I wasn’t afraid to audition for anything anymore, and I had become close with all of the teachers involved with the shows. I got a lead in the fall play, playing Hector MacQueen in Murder on the Orient Express, and it was probably my favorite show that I’ve ever been a part of. I loved the part that I played, and I got to have a lot of fun figuring out the character and interacting with all of my friends on stage. That spring, I got a callback for the musical, and had to sing in front of all of my friends. That was, in fact, insanely terrifying. It also didn’t help that I was the last person to sing the same excerpt of music that fifteen other girls sang before me. But I got a really great part, was asked again to be the student music director, and understudied for four featured parts. As student musical director for Catch Me If You Can, I rearranged some of the music so that it would be easier for the vocalists, and I also taught them the parts across multiple rehearsals. It was a lot of work, but I loved every second of it. Now, when you work as an understudy however, you go to extra rehearsals and spend your own time learning music. It’s a fun process, but you aren’t guaranteed to ever perform the things you spend such a long time learning. For me, that wasn’t the case. On opening night, I was texted by one of the girls I was understudying and told that she was too sick to perform. This was about an hour before the show started. So, I got to the school as fast as I could to get ready, and my director came to outline all of the changes that had to happen. On top of all of this, I realized that I would have to sing the first half of one of the hardest songs in the show, and had virtually no time to run it. So, I performed like I had never performed before, and was told that I did a good job (I really don’t remember any of it– it was kind of like a fever dream, you know). You gave me confidence this time, instead of being afraid, I felt comfortable and ready to perform. For the first time, you made me feel that I didn’t need to shy away from what I love. The friends you gave me during that show are some of the best friends that I have now, and I will always be proud of all of the work I put into making that show as good and memorable as it could’ve been.
These shows at East Islip High School were the most influential and important parts of my high school career. You changed my outlook on my fears, and you brought me some of my greatest friends. I will always be grateful for all of the hours I spent working for something that I love, as I clearly remember all of them a little bit too well. The time and effort was all worth it, and knowing then what I know now, I would absolutely do it all over again. Thank you for all of these memories and experiences that you have given to me. I wouldn’t be the same person without them.
Love,
Nina Walsh
