I.D Essay Book - When I was a Child Star (Part 2)

Part Two ^^V

Completely Caught off Guard

The first youth theatre company entrance audition I had taken consisted of several hundred children and their parents all gathered together. Some important-looking people came out wearing suits and greeted us in an enthusiastic, movie-business-like way: “Greetings to you, the stars of tomorrow!” The actual test was simple, things like keeping up a rhythm etc. and we were moved along in an assembly line fashion. The end. The whole of the large building we were in was composed of the theatre company’s offices, and to me it seemed like a very adult world.

And then there was ‘Komadori’.

It was located in a place so quiet as to make you want to say, “Eh? Here?!”

After nervously opening the door there stood a single middle aged woman. She came over with a large booming “Why hello there!” and then “What? You’re a third year at elementary school? You’re pretty small, aren’t you!” While sipping tea and folding her newspaper she seemed just like my own grandmother even though this was the first time we had met. She was more chirpy than was necessary. Komadori was, from the hall to the main room, an old building that was small enough to be able to see everything in it all at once. It was very different to my expectations.

“OK, now Mum you just sit there. Maaya, you come over here” she suddenly used just my first name. Then without any warning the audition started. The old lady who I’d thought was just the receptionist was actually the representative of the theatre group, and its manager, and its teacher of theatrics. Without paying any attention to how overwhelmed I was the questions came flying out immediately.

“There’s a boat in front of you. Your mother is on that boat. She’s going off to a foreign country right now! Shout something to her, whatever you want. Go!”

Even if you say ‘go!’ like that…er…anyway I gave “Mama!” a try. Silence. The “Old lady” who was now my “teacher” sat there looking at me without saying anything. There was nothing for it, I added “Come back some day!” My teacher was still silent. Even trying to call out again produced no reaction. For a moment she stared into space then suddenly got up urging, “Look, the boat’s going, say something!” Waving my hand and trying to give off some feeling of a growing distance I continued to call “Mama! Mama!” Finish.

Without any feedback we moved onto the next situation. “Huh? Did I do something wrong?” I was suddenly nervous.

Other questions consisted of “You’ve mislaid something important to you, you’re free to move around so go ahead and search this room” etc. and continued at a surprisingly difficult level. Being given various situations and then being free to develop a story and then give an impromptu performance – in theatre this is called an ‘etude’. Giving something difficult like this to just an ordinary elementary school student! I laugh when I think about it now.

When we were finished with this the teacher said “Everyone will come soon, why don’t you try taking a lesson with us?” Everyone? A lesson?

Then with an attitude of ‘it’s us, the kids!’ lots of boys and girls surged into this weird old room. I had no idea what was going on but all of them were talking in loud voices. The teacher raised her voice, “Oi, you lot! This is Maaya and she’s going to be joining our lesson today so make friends, ok?”

I see, this lady’s voice is loud in order to shut up these ten children all in one go. As one, all of these sweaty, red-faced children looked my way. I found out afterwards that as the room is too narrow for rehearsals where one can move one’s body about, the first rule seemed to be to come to lessons after playing as much as one wants in the park. Very strange. Very, very strange. I don’t think there’s another youth theatre group like this one. No, there’s definitely not another one like it. I’ve never heard of one.

My first lesson. Vocal exercises and tongue-twisters, then reading lines in pairs. Well, I think that’s pretty much like any theatre group but Komadori was NOISY!!

The children were reading their lines like anyone would but would then shout them without any reserve at all. The boys mostly started to play ‘pro-wrestling’. And then the teacher would shout at them one by one “Oi!”, and “You’re too noisy!”, and “Be quiet!” but it had no effect at all. Two hours seemed to fly by and the lesson was suddenly over. As I was preparing to go home, tired out by the hours of shouting, the teacher said “Next week from 10’o’clock, ok?”

Somehow, it seemed I had passed.