"The Dramatic Dilemma" by Lenora McCoy

Note:

THAT FIRST THURSDAY OF HIGH SCHOOL WAS AN INTERESTING ONE FORLAURA. SHE SENSED IMMEDIATELY THAT THIS WOULD BE DIFFERENTFROM THE SPRING MUSICALES AND TALENT SHOWS IN GRAMMARSCHOOL. NO, THIS WAS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT, AS THE TEACHER WASYOUNG, PRETTY AND VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANY TEACHER SHE'D EVERMET.

THIS WAS "SERIOUS DRAMA", AS MA HAD PUT IT, ALTHOUGH LAURACOULD NOT FIND SERIOUS IN IT. EVERYONE WAS SO FRIENDLY. BUT THATSEEMED SO LONG AGO, THOSE HAPPY TIMES IN THE ALRIDGE HIGHSCHOOL DRAMA CLUB.

ON THAT THURSDAY LAURA FELT HAPPY TO BE GOING TO DRAMACLUB AGAIN LIKE IN 5TH AND 6TH GRADES AT JOHN ALRIGHT GRAMMARSCHOOL. LAURA HAD BEEN SAD THE PAST FOUR DAYS, HAVINGGRADUATED FROM THE ONLY SCHOOL SHE'D KNOWN FOR NINE YEARSTHAT PAST JUNE. LAURA HAD LIVED ON WESTBURY STREET, A NORTH-SOUTH RUNNING STREET IN A QUIET SUBURB HER WHOLE LIFE. ALBRIGHTWAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WESTBURY FROM HER HOUSE AND ALRIDGEWAS TWO BLOCKS NORTH. IT MADE HER SAD EACH DAY WALKING PASTTHE SCHOOL SHE LOVED, KNOWING SHE WOULD NEVER AGAIN WALKINTO THE COURTYARD TO FIND BEANS AS A MOTHER OWL IN MRS.JOHANNSEN'S EIGHTH GRADE SCIENCE CLASS. SHE HAD VISITED MRS.McCONNER YESTERDAY, HER FAVORITE TEACHER IN ALL THE WORLD.

"BOY, DO I WISH I WERE STILL IN FOURTH GRADE DESCRIBING APICTURE FOR MRS. McCONNER AGAIN", LAURA THOUGHT.

"THIS YEAR, OUR FALL PLAY WILL BE OUR TOWN BY THORNTONWILDER. AUDITIONS WILL BE SEPTEMBER 23RD AND WE WILL PERFORMTHE PLAY NOVEMBER 18, 19, AND 20. ANY QUESTIONS?" MS. LARSON WASTALKING ABOUT THE PLAY.

LAURA WENT HOME FEELING HAPPY AND EXCITED.

"MA, WE'RE DOING A PLAY CALLED OUR TOWN BY SOME GUY NAMEDTHORNTON WILDER. I CAN'T WAIT FOR AUDITIONS!"

SEVEN MONTHS LATER HER ATTITUDE ABOUT DRAMA CLUBCHANGED.

"MA, DRAMA CLUB IS BEING DROPPED NEXT YEAR AND MS.LARSON IS BEING FIRED!" LAURA CRIED ONE MARCH DAY, JUST BEFORESPRING BREAK. "THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE ANY DRAMA CLUB NEXTYEAR!!!!!!"

THE DAY BEFORE SPRING BREAK, AS LAURA WAS WALKING HOME, SHESAW THE SCHOOL JANITORS CLEANING OUT THE STAGE. LAURA BEGANTO CRY. IT MADE HER SO SAD TO SEE THE MEAN JANITOR KICKING THEIRWOOD LIKE IT WAS A PIECE OF BUG GUTS. "I'D LIKE TO KICK YOU INTOTOMORROW FOR RUINING OUR WOOD! YOU ARE SUCH A JERK. YOU DON'TLET US NOURISH OURSELVES WHILE WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF LONGREHEARSALS, AND NOW YOU ARE KICKING OUR WOOD, YOU IDIOT! IHATE YOU!" LAURA WHISPERED QUIETLY.

DURING SPRING BREAK THERE WAS AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE'REDUCTION-IN-FORCE' AT ALRIDGE HIGH, AS THE FIRINGS WEREPOLITELY NAMED, IN THE LOCAL PAPER. THE ALRIDGE TEACHERS UNIONWAS GOING TO TRY TO REVERSE THE DECISIONS.

LAURA THOUGHT, "I THINK I'M GONNA WRITE MY FEELINGS DOWN IN ASTORY." LAURA LOVED TO WRITE STORIES. "MICROSOFT WORKS WILL BEGOOD FOR WRITING THE STORY, SAVING IT, EDITING IT, AND PRINTING IT.MAYBE WHEN I'M DONE, I CAN SEND IT TO THE BOARD AND IT MIGHTHELP THEM SEE HOW THEIR DECISION IS AFFECTING THE STUDENTSHERE. I MEAN, I WAS REALLY, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVINGMS. LARSON FOR AMERICAN LIT IN MY JUNIOR YEAR!" LAURA BEGAN TOCRY AGAIN AT THE THOUGHT. " THOSE BLOOD-SUCKING PARASITES ONTHE BOARD! I WANT TO KILL THEM ALL! JUST LIKE BRIAN DOYLE-MURRAY SAID IN NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION, 'SOMETHINGS MAY LOOK GOOD ON PAPER, BUT THEY LOOSE THEIR LUSTERWHEN YOU SEE HOW IT AFFECTS REAL PEOPLE.' THAT'S HOW I FEEL. TOOBAD I DON'T HAVE A CRAZY COUSIN EDDIE TO KIDNAP THE 'MEANIES' ANDGET THEM TO SEE THE ERRORS IN THEIR WAYS. LIFE IS SO UNFAIR! ANDSCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS HAVE NO BRAINS WHATSOEVER." LAURATURNED ON HER COMPUTER AND BEGAN TO WRITE. THE WORDS JUSTFLOWED ONTO THE SCREEN, AMAZINGLY FAST, AS LAURA WAS A TWOFINGERED TYPIST. SHE WORKED ON IT CAREFULLY, AND AS OFTEN ASPOSSIBLE DURING HER SPRING BREAK. AS MORE DEVELOPMENTSEMERGED IN THE INCIDENT, LAURA ADDED THEM TO HER STORY.

ONE DAY LAURA RAN INTO A FELLOW DRAMA CLUB MEMBER WHOTOLD HER THAT DRAMA WOULD NOT BE DROPPED, JUST MS. LARSON.

"IT WON'T BE THE SAME. I STILL WON'T BE ABLE TO HAVE MS. LARSONFOR AMERICAN LIT. SURE, THEY THINK THEY'RE BEING NICE TO US BYKEEPING DRAMA BUT THEY'RE STILL BREAKING OUR HEARTS ANDMAKING US SAD BY FIRING MS. LARSON." LAURA SAID TO HERSELF.

LAURA ADDED THAT TO HER STORY. LAURA READ AN ARTICLE IN THEPAPER ABOUT HOW THE BOARD WASN'T GOING TO ALLOW ALL OF THECUT-BACKS.

"MA, THEY'RE FIRING THE BOARD PRESIDENT! HAVE THEY NO SHAME?OH, WAIT, THEY'RE NOT FIRING HER, PER SAY, BUT REDUCING HER TOPART-TIME. BUT, THAT'S STILL MEAN." LAURA ADDED THAT TO THESTORY.

THE SECOND WEEK BACK AFTER SPRING BREAK, THE DRAMA CLUBMET TWICE. THE FIRST DAY THEY DID IMPROV'S. THAT WAS LAURA'SFAVORITE BECAUSE THE SCENES COULD GET REALLY SILLY.

"IMPROV IS FUN BECAUSE YOU MIGHT START OUT YELLING AT ASISTER HOGGING THE BATHROOM WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL,"LAURA TOLD HER PEN PAL IN A LETTER, "AND WHEN YOU FINALLY QUIT,YOU MIGHT BE IN PARIS, FRANCE, SCREAMING AT A FRENCH WAITER!" LAURA DECIDED TO TEACH HER COUSINS IMPROV GAMES.

THE SECOND DAY, THEY WATCHED A TAPE OF THE SPRING PLAY. THEY ALL HAD A GOOD LAUGH BECAUSE ONLY ONE MIKE COULD BEATTACHED TO THE CAMERA AND IT WAS GIVEN TO THE MALE LEAD.

"HE WAS A CHATTERBOX, "LAURA SAID, "AND ALL YOU COULD HEARWAS HIM TALKING BACKSTAGE. YOU COULDN'T HEAR ANYONE ELSE!"

EVERY TIME SOMETHING NEW HAPPENED IN DRAMA, LAURA SATDOWN AND WROTE IT INTO HER STORY. ONE DAY NEAR THE END OFSUMMER, LAURA WENT TO SCHOOL TO HELP WITH THE FILMING OF AVIDEO SHE CO-WROTE FOR THE LOCAL LIBRARY, A FELLOW DRAMA CLUBMEMBER, WHO ALSO WAS WORKING ON THE VIDEO AND LAURA THOUGHTOF AS THE SCHOOL BUSY-BODY, SAID THAT HE KNEW WHO THE NEWDRAMA TEACHER WOULD BE.

"REALLY? WOW, WHO IS IT?" LAURA CRIED.

"A MISS PARKINGTON, AND SHE'S REALLY NICE! I MET HER THE OTHERDAY, AND SHE'S GREAT. I CAN'T WAIT FOR DRAMA TO START." HE SAID.

"YEAH, RIGHT," LAURA SAID TO HERSELF, "WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAITAND SEE. AND I'LL HAVE TO ADD THIS DETAIL TO DRAMATIC DILEMMA." THAT WAS THE NAME LAURA HAD CHOSEN FOR HER STORY.

THE VERY NEXT WEEK, SCHOOL STARTED. TWO WEEKS LATER, LAURAMET MISS PARKINGTON. "WOW, BUSY-BODY WAS RIGHT. SHE IS REALLYNICE! I CAN'T WAIT FOR DRAMA TO START NOW." LAURA DIDN'T HAVELONG TO WAIT. ANOTHER TWO WEEKS LATER, THERE WAS A MEETING TOVOTE ON THE FALL PLAY. IN THE FIRST MONTH OF SCHOOL, LAURA HADFOUND OUT SOME THINGS ABOUT DRAMA, BUT NOT TONS. ONE THINGSHE'D FOUND OUT IS THAT PEOPLE IN THIS ONE COURSE, THEATER ARTS,HAD TO BE IN DRAMA, LIKE IT OR NOT. LAURA AND HER BEST FRIEND,MATTY, TALKED ABOUT IT. THEY FELT THAT, ALTHOUGH IT WAS NICE TOBE ABLE TO PRODUCE PLAYS WITH LARGE CASTS AND NOT HAVE TO PLAYSEVERAL PARTS, THOSE PEOPLE WOULDN'T BE AS FUN BECAUSE THEYWOULDN'T WANT TO BE THERE. AT THE MEETING, THAT MATTYCOULDN'T ATTEND SINCE SHE HAD PEP BAND TO GO TO (LAURA HAD QUITIN SIXTH GRADE), BUT LAURA WENT AND VOTED FOR HER.

"I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. BUSY-BODY IS IN THEATER ARTS, AND HE'SPROBABLY THE ONLY ONE IN THE COURSE BESIDES ME THAT ACTUALLYWANTS TO BE HERE. AND I'M NOT EVEN IN THE COURSE!" LAURA HADWANTED TO REGISTER FOR THE COURSE, BUT THERE WAS NO ROOM INHER SCHEDULE. THEN LAURA GOT THE INFO THAT SEALED THE STORY'SEND. MISS PARKINGTON SAID THAT MAYBE THEY COULD SAVE SOMEMONEY IF LAURA SEWED SOME COSTUMES. WHILE MS. LARSON HAD LETLAURA SEW, LAURA'S FAVORITE HOBBY, MS. LARSON HAD ONLY HAD HERREMOVE RICK-RACK FROM ONE DRESS, SEW NETTING TO A CROWN TOMAKE A BRIDAL VEIL (CHILD'S PLAY, MATTY CALLED IT) AND HEM ADRESS. THAT WAS IN TWO WHOLE PLAYS! BUT NOW MISS PARKINGTONWAS SAYING LAURA COULD SEW WHOLE COSTUMES! AND THEN MISSPARKINGTON SAID THEY WOULD AUDITION FOR SPECIFIC PARTS INSTEADOF AUDITIONING AND HAVING THEIR PARTS CHOSEN BY MS. LARSON. THIS WAS GREAT! LAURA RACED HOME AND THREW THIS IN HER STORY,SLAPPED A "THE END" ON IT AND PRINTED IT UP, AND SMILED WITHPRIDE. DRAMA CLASS HAD CHANGED BUT IT HAD CHANGED FOR THEBETTER.

Last updated 18 JUN 98

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