4TV FICTION CLASSICS "SANDY THOMAS

vice versa in the girls' classes. Students who auditioned for acceptance into the school's drama program were identified as to which roles they would play for their duration at the school. So, if a young boy looked like he could "adapt" to acting in a girl's role, he might be chosen to participate in the program as an "actress". My audition was considered promising, and it was felt I was one who would "adapt❞ quite nicely.

It might not be so unusual, given that even the most famous actors, such as Sir Lawrence Olivier, had started their stage careers in the true Shakespearean tradition by playing female roles. But at Rosemount, the boy "actresses" had to play the girl's role in more than just drama class.

Chapter 1 Mother Gives Me the Good News.

The winter freeze was losing its grip on Canada, giving way to the warming April sunshine. I enjoyed walking on the thin ice that covered puddles on the street, to hear the ice scrunch beneath my footsteps. It was Friday afternoon, and I was looking forward to the weekend. I couldn't have known what news waited for me at home.

"Hi, mom, what's for supper?", I said, seeing my mother standing in the hallway with a big smile on her face, and an envelope clutched in her hands. As I took off my boots she rushed over and hugged me, making me do a one-legged hop while I tried to get off my

boot.

"Hey, what are you trying to do? Tackle me out the front door?"

"Ken, you've been accepted!", she exclaimed as if I could read her mind as to what in the world she was talking about.

"Accepted? Accepted into what?", I half-interestedly asked. "Rosemount College! You're in the Drama program! The audition before Christmas . . .remember?" Oh yeah, now I remembered that Rosemount. My mother had gone on and on about how great a drama school it was. She had made me go to an audition some months ago that was like an "entrance exam".

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She claimed that some very top actors and actresses had started there. My mother, by the way, was a lifelong "struggling actress". One that only managed to get supporting parts in various local plays, and even some TV commercials. Ever since my father died several years ago, she worked as hard as she could to support me in a very comfortable lifestyle. I did appreciate that very much.

I remembered that strange audition. I loved acting, and had been the star in all our high school productions. At this audition, the department head of the Rosemount College Dramatic program had asked me to read various parts of plays. The first half of the audition I read several standard scenes as the male lead. It seemed that the

ACTING LIKE A GIRL -5

woman was not overly impressed, because I could see her making some notes and looking a little bored.

But the second half of the audition, it got really weird! She asked me to read, as realistically as I could, several scenes as the female lead!

I have a naturally high voice that hadn't changed yet, and it was soft, more of a soprano than a tenor. I really played it up. I thought this woman wanted to make fun of me, so I played it dead serious. Gee, in one emotional scene I even felt my eyes starting to water, so I thought about the saddest thing I could, and the next thing I knew, I was finishing the scene with real tears streaming down my face. The woman was smiling broadly and seemed very impressed. She came over to my mother and told us both that she thought that I had excellent natural talent. It was nice to see my mother sponging in that praise for all it was worth. She was walking on air for days. Now, she was more excited than I had seen her in months.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!", she gushed, "You'll have the kind of training that I never had an opportunity to get. And the school has even offered you a special scholarship. It's provided by previous graduates who have gone on to become rich and famous. The only stipulation for receiving this scholarship is, that if you become rich as an actor some day, you agree to provide a scholarship for some future student." Well, that's jumping the gun a little I thought.

"So where is this school?" I asked. Mother went on to explain all about it. I wasn't too thrilled to learn that it was a three hour drive from Toronto in some backwoods rural area. I had become used to the hustle and bustle of city life. But, the idea of getting into a college program where a large part of time was spent in drama sounded great. Drama was fun. "Here, they sent you an orientation brochure, Ken." My mother handed me a small folded pamphlet. Scanning the accompanying letter, I was a little stunned by the opening sentence. It read:

Dear Ken,

Congratulations on being accepted into our special fouryear Drama program as part of the boy "actress" troupe.

"What do they mean 'boy actress'?!?", I exclaimed. Mother seemed a little hesitant in explaining, but finally did. It turns out that I was chosen because of my "female" audition, and consequently they wanted me to study and play female roles!

"Well, thanks, but no thanks!" I angrily replied as I stormed out of the house.

When I came back a couple of hours later, I felt like a real heel. I could see by mother's eyes that she had been crying a lot. They were red and