Shannon in the Spotlight - Hardcover

Miller, Kalena

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593486056 ISBN 13: 9780593486054

Verlag: Delacorte Press, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

After Shannon accidentally lands a lead role in the summer musical, she realizes she has bigger things to worry about than stage fright in this contemporary middle-school novel about strained friendships, the positive power of theater, and the realities of being a tween with OCD.

Shannon Carter never considered herself much of a theater person. Not like her two BFFs, Elise, an actress, and Fatima, a techie. Shannon’s always been content to stay backstage, helping wherever she can. But when the director of the summer musical hears Shannon singing, he encourages her to step out of the wings and into the spotlight. 

At first, Shannon is hesitant. As a twelve-year-old with obsessive-compulsive disorder, she depends on routine. But when she braves the audition, she discovers that center stage is the one place where she doesn’t feel anxious. She lands a lead role, and everyone in her life is ecstatic . . . except Elise.

To make matters worse, Shannon’s eccentric and opinionated grandmother moves in with her and her mom after a fluke house fire. As opening night approaches, Shannon feels pressure to save her friendship with Elise, to make Mom and Grandma Ruby act like grown-ups, and to follow the old theater adage The show must go on.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kalena Miller grew up in College Station, Texas. After high school, she moved a thousand miles north to attend Carleton College, where she graduated with a BA in Religious Studies. After a brief stint working as a paraeducator in Seattle, Kalena decided she missed school too much, so she spent the next two years pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at Hamline University. Kalena lives in Minnesota with her husband, Kenny, and their Toy Australian Shepherd, Toshley. She loves books that make her laugh and make her cry, preferably at the same time, and she firmly believes all quality novels should feature a cat.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

SIXTEEN BARS


I stare at the ripped sheet of notebook paper taped to the auditorium door. There’s a pen dangling from a string beside it and a line of kids waiting to sign up. Elise grabs the pen and scrawls her name at the bottom of the list.

“This is your chance, Shannon.” Fatima prods me in the side with a sparkly blue nail and gives me a knowing look. She takes the pen from Elise and hands it to me. I shake my head, drop the pen, and watch it bounce back against the wall.

There are different levels of theater kids.

I’m a level one. I enjoy working on shows, but I’m mostly here for my friends. I’m a techie, which means I do behind-the-scenes stuff. It’s true I sometimes envy the actors--singing and dancing is probably more fun than spending hours with a hot glue gun--but I stay where I’m comfortable. Standing alone onstage? Being judged by my friends? Performing for a packed audience? Those are the total opposite of comfortable.

Fatima is a level two. Like me, she prefers to work backstage. But while I’m partial to costume design and props, Fatima is obsessed with anything involving hammers and screwdrivers. Operating a power drill is her favorite hobby. She’s talented too. Last summer, Fatima built a giant doghouse all by herself for our production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Elise, the only actor among us, is a solid level three. She spends the week after auditions working on her prediction chart, a massive bulletin board where she guesses the entire cast list. Imagine a serial killer’s lair with pictures and Post-it notes connected by bits of string. Except with more sequins.

“Are you sure?” Fatima asks. Kids are jostling behind us, but I stand frozen in place, staring at the list.

“Yeah, you should audition. You could be, like, a nun or something.” Elise’s words are supportive, but her voice is hollow. She’s never said this out loud, but I know she enjoys being the only actor in our trio. Despite her fancy voice lessons, Elise gets insecure about her singing.

I take one more, slightly wistful, glance at the notebook paper, then shake my head. “Nope. I don’t sing in public.” That’s my go-to excuse for avoiding the spotlight. Nobody needs to know about the hours I spend under the covers watching videos of Broadway stars, imagining what it would feel like to be onstage.

Fatima sighs, disappointed by my decision, but Elise nods happily. She’s jittery as we find seats in the darkened auditorium. We pick a row halfway back, near the other middle schoolers. As usual, I sit between my two best friends. Fatima is the kindest person I’ve ever met, but Elise’s nervous energy on audition day stresses her out.

“Are we sure the song from The Secret Garden is right for me?” Elise’s leg is bouncing up and down.

“Omigod, yes.” Fatima sighs. “We’ve been over this a gazillion times.”

“Okay.” Elise chews on her thumbnail, and her shaking legs cause our entire row of auditorium seats to vibrate. I’m about to place one hand on her thigh to stop her trembling but then change my mind. Elise never complains when I’m acting weird.

That reminds me. I slide a tube of ChapStick out of my pocket and trace my lips in three complete circles. I press my lips together three times to evenly spread the waxy balm, then snap the lid back on.

My therapist would tell me to resist the urge to soothe my lips, but it’s hard to fight my brain all the time. I know it’s irrational, but I fear the entire day will be ruined if my lips get chapped. And with auditions today, I’m not taking any chances.

The noisy chatter filling the auditorium fades to silence as Mr. Bryant, the director of the Rosewood Youth Community Theater, walks onto the stage. A few rows behind us, Robert Zhang shushes everyone, even though the room is already quiet. (Yes, he’s that kid.) Next to me, Elise’s leg twitching intensifies as a dramatic spotlight shines on our director.

“Are you serious with that spot, Amir?” Mr. Bryant yells, squinting. “Come help with these packets.”

In the back corner of the theater, Amir laughs and shuts off the light. Fatima groans. Amir is Mr. Bryant’s star performer, personal coffee fetcher, and occasional substitute director. He’s also Fatima’s older brother.

“Welcome to the auditions for Rosewood Youth Community Theater’s production of The Sound of Music!” Mr. Bryant gestures dramatically--because nobody in this room does anything not dramatically--while Amir fetches the stapled packets and hands them out, row by row. “While I’m excited to see so many returners, we also have some new faces,” Mr. Bryant continues. “So let me explain how auditions will work . . .”

This is my third show, so I know the drill. Everyone auditioning will perform a thirty-second monologue and at least sixteen bars of a song. You’re allowed to watch the other auditions, and even techies like me and Fatima can sit in the audience as long as we’re quiet. Mr. Bryant only has two rules: No parents in the auditorium. And no Disney songs.

“Does that make sense to everyone?” Mr. Bryant asks, finishing his speech. There’s a sea of nods, but nobody says anything.

Except for Elise, who whispers directly into my ear, “What about my monologue?” Her voice is frantic. “Maybe I need something with more emotional range? What do you think?”

My thoughts are that (1) Mr. Bryant usually checks his phone during the monologues, so (2) they can’t matter that much, and (3) even if they do matter, it’s too late for Elise to change anything now. Of course, I can’t tell her any of those things.

“I love what you picked,” I whisper back. “You don’t want something too emotional.”

Elise nods, but I can tell from the stricken look on her face I didn’t help.

“All right! Let’s get started.” Mr. Bryant claps his hands, then heads to his usual table at the back of the theater. “Amir, you’re first. Show everyone how it’s done.”

Amir makes a big show of turning in his signed permission slip, climbing onstage, and introducing himself. Fatima slumps farther into her seat, but I think it’s sweet. If I was auditioning for the first time, I would appreciate someone showing me what to do.

Amir gives the audience a half-smile, then rolls his shoulders back and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, it’s like he’s transformed into a different person. I don’t understand much of the monologue, but a quick glance at Mr. Bryant tells me it’s really good. Then, after another roll of the shoulders, Amir launches into his song. I don’t have to be an expert to know his voice is spectacular.

“I think I’m in love with your brother.” Elise gazes longingly at Amir as he exits the stage.

“Nope. No. Absolutely not.” Fatima shakes her head. “That is unacceptable.”

“Not as, like, a boyfriend,” Elise says. “But as an artist. I’m in love with his talent.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t make it less weird,” Fatima says, laughing.

I laugh, too, but I get what Elise means. If she’s a level three theater kid, Amir is a level ten. He’s devoted his life to making it to Broadway, and I think he’s talented enough to do it. People from other parts of Minneapolis come to our...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Delacorte Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593486056
• ISBN 13: 9780593486054
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar