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An Unexpected Change (Mark Metzger)

I never appreciated beauty as a child. It just wasn t s!"ething that I did !r underst!!d.

My #a"ily and I w!uld be driving thr!ugh $!se"ite% and "y parents w!uld say% &Mark' !!k at

this incredible view' I w!uld l!!k up% n!tice the view brie#ly% and then i""ediately return t!

playing *!k+"!n !n "y ,a"eb!y because at the ti"e being a *!k+"!n "aster was #ar "!re

i"p!rtant than l!!king at s!"e trees and water. My #a"ily and I w!uld be watching !ur usual

screening !# The Princess Bride % and instinctively% I w!uld shut "y eyes and gr!an as -uttercup

and estley share the "!st passi!nate kiss !# all ti"e. /very ti"e "y parents w!uld kiss "e

g!!dnight% I d i""ediately wipe the kiss !## the cheek because kisses were gr!ss. It s like I had

these prec!nceived ideas as t! h!w I sh!uld see the w!rld as a child% and being the "!derately

stubb!rn child that I was% I held !nt! these ideas l!nger than I sh!uld have. And it wasn t until I

was intr!duced t! the w!rld !# theatre that "y views !n the w!rld changed.

My #riend Ada" "ade "e auditi!n #!r "y #irst play. I went !ver t! Ada" s h!use the

night be#!re% n!t kn!wing that this sleep!ver w!uld be the catalyst that w!uld change "y li#e.

*ri!r t! this sleep!ver% I didn t even kn!w that there was an auditi!n g!ing !n% let al!ne the

desire t! be in a play. I arrived at Ada" s h!use with "y 0!ckband guitar and sleeping bag in

hand% prepared #!r a ra"buncti!usly r!cking evening. -ut be#!re I even had ti"e t! greet hi" at

the d!!r% he li#ted up a thin b!!k and said% &0ead this. I ve already picked !ut a #ew g!!d

"!n!l!gues that y!u can d!. -ut y!u #igure !ut #!r y!ursel# which !ne y!u want t! per#!r"

t!"!rr!w. I was du"bstruck. I had n! idea what he was talking ab!ut. -ut #!r s!"e reas!n% I

i""ediately began t! read thr!ugh this strange b!!k and never 1uesti!ned what was g!ing !n.

2l!wly I began t! realize that these "!n!l!gues are per#!r"ed at auditi!ns #!r when !ne "ight

want t! participate in a play. -ut why was he having me read this3 I ve never d!ne plays be#!re.

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As I was reading% he began t! explain t! "e that he was auditi!ning #!r the play Little Women

the next day% and that he was essentially dragging "e al!ng t! auditi!n #!r it with hi" whether I

wanted t! !r n!t. ucky #!r hi" I wasn t !pp!sed t! the idea. I #igured it "ight be #un t! auditi!n

#!r a play% and that a play "ight be a #un way t! !ccupy "y ti"e. It d be like a sp!rt% but with

less physical exerti!n.

I spent the wh!le night "e"!rizing this "!n!l!gue% and I per#!r"ed it the next "!rning.

I""ediately a#ter% they asked "e t! stay #!r callbacks that a#tern!!n. I had n! idea what that

"eant% but I assu"ed it was g!!d and went with it. Ada" c!ngratulated "e a#terwards% and

explained t! "e exactly what I just g!t asked t! attend. A#ter ab!ut thirty "inutes !# waiting% wewere asked t! g! back upstairs #!r callbacks. ittle did I kn!w that "y li#e w!uld be c!"pletely

changed in the next #ew h!urs.

I received a ph!ne call a #ew days later #r!" the direct!r% where she t!ld "e that Ada"

and I w!uld be d!ubled as the lead. I didn t really believe it% especially since I had n! theatrical

experience4 whereas% Ada" had been d!ing it #!r years. I was excited n!netheless% and I

i""ediately g!t t! w!rking !n the sh!w. And I kept w!rking #!r years t! c!"e.

5heatre started !ut as a "ere h!bby #!r "e. Little Women was a #un a#tersch!!l activity%

and I had a swell en!ugh ti"e that I wanted t! d! the next play. And a#ter that play I wanted t!

d! the next% and then the next !ne a#ter that. -ut as ti"e passed% I began t! gr!w attached t! this

art. I wanted t! be a better act!r. I wanted t! push "ysel# bey!nd "y li"its. I wanted t! surpass

"y #ull p!tential. 5hr!ugh these "!tivati!ns% theatre sl!wly diverged #r!" being a s!cial activity

int! being a li#estyle and an art #!r". As I pushed "ysel# harder and harder in this theatrical

w!rld% I began t! devel!p e"pathy thr!ugh playing characters. I was literally walking ar!und in

s!"e!ne else s sh!es% and I began t! see the w!rld as I had never seen it be#!re. A new

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c!"prehensi!n !# beauty dawned up!n "e. 5his e"pathy n!w all!ws "e t! see the beauty I had

never seen be#!re. 6riving thr!ugh the -erkeley hills at night% I ll #ind "ysel# st!pping the car t!

si"ply stare at the view !# the -ay% with the "!!n h!vering ab!ve the #!g. hile watching The

Princess Bride, I n!w c!""!nly #ind "ysel# tearing up a bit as I watch the "!st passi!nate kiss

!# all ti"e. And I n!w kiss "y l!ved !nes% #!r a s"all si"ple kiss can be the ulti"ate beauty in

the w!rld.