It’s amazing how some things work out. I have been stressing for over a month about how I was going to do a full Shakespearean play along with a 10-minute speech. I had a major role in the play, where all the lines had to be memorized completely, and the speech was five pages long, where I had only one 3×5 note card for assistance. It’s a miracle my brain didn’t melt from exhaustion.
But, by some miracle, the gods above took pity on my fractured little mind. The play went amazing, all three nights, with only one or two minor mistakes, and none of them by me. According to some audience members, I looked sweet, innocent, and completely in love with my partner. I am neither sweet nor in love with the boy who played Florizel. I barely know him.
Saturday morning, after two flawless performances, I was completely secure in my ability with the play. However, I was terrified about the speech. I was against three other competitors, and I was to speak third. The first speaker was all right, but the second speaker was very talented. He had a strong voice and good content, but he had two obvious memory lapses, and his content had some flaws. I spoke next, and it was wonderful how, as soon as I stood in front of the podium, I was relaxed, and gave my speech without any stutters or memory lapses. The fourth speaker was good as well. She had decent content and a voice that carried but wasn’t quite forceful enough for me.
After everyone was finished and the judges were tallying up their scores, the four of us sat nervously, waiting anxiously. Finally, a man came up to the podium and the master of ceremonies, and said something about the number three. I kept calm, to make sure I wasn’t misreading anything so I wouldn’t feel disappointed later, but he addressed the room quickly, saying speaker number three was the winner. I could feel my face lift with joy, and could see the same reaction in my parents and boyfriend in the small crowd. Then the man started talking about the winner, and he was using someone else’s name! I could feel my heart sinking fast, until someone finally corrected him. I had indeed won, he just got my name and the first speaker’s name mixed up.
So now, I have less than two weeks to make a few small changes to my speech, and practice. This time, thank the heavens above, I only have a few new sentences to memorize, instead of a full speech and play. I personally think it’s nothing short of a miracle I didn’t start reciting Shakespeare during a speech about water.
Saturday was nothing short of amazing, and I’m sure it will be one of the best of my high school days. As Kelly has reminded me, this is supposed to be fun, and I shouldn’t be so stressed all the time.
Mary Kelman is a senior at Anderson New Tech High School in Anderson, Calif., and an intern at anewscafe.com. She is documenting her last few weeks of high school.
