March 28, 2024

Editor’s Notes

Posted on September 2, 2013 by in EdNote

At five I had my first acting role, a Christmas angel in our annual church pageant. My task was simple: welcome Baby Jesus from “on high”, or more specifically, from atop a tall table positioned behind the manger scene.

The costume was a little girl’s dream – white satin robe, silver halo, shimming gossamer wings that sparkled with glitter in the light. My only prop was a brilliant star I held high above my head. The director, a very kind, young priest, gave me precise instructions: “Stand tall so everyone can see your bright star.” Mother worried I was too young for the part, but I was ecstatic. It wasn’t a difficult role, but definitely an important one.

When the big night came, I climbed onto the table and stepped on my mark. As the student choir began to sing It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, my moment arrived. On cue – and nudged from backstage by one of the older children – I stepped into the lights and held my shiny star high overhead. And held it, and held it, and held it…

Within minutes the glaring spotlights felt like bolts of fire burning my eyes, and my tabletop perch seemed mountainous. Sweat soaked through the shiny robe. Out of control, my Star of Bethlehem began the first of several quick, downward trajectories, resembling a hesitant meteor shower more than any celestial light. Just as I was about to take a header into the manger, a hand reach out to support my Star, and an arm braced my waist until the pageant was over. Mom had rushed backstage, rescuing me from stage disaster.

My older brother Vic, by his own theatre involvement, encouraged my interest in acting from the very beginning. Performing throughout his school days at Lee High School in Montgomery, he ultimately chose acting as a career (much to our old-school father’s dismay) and has spent his life in the spotlight, on and off Broadway, in entertainment television, and on film. (Check out Vic Polizos on IMDB for more details).

As for me, I continued my theater involvement through high school and early college, before charting a course toward broadcasting and journalism. But even as an adult I’ve participated on the community stage, convincing my husband and both children (then 10 and 14) to join me one summer for an on-stage adventure.

After being cast in The King and I at Faulkner University, we rehearsed for a month before performing three times a week over four weekends. It was hard work, and we were weary and bone-tired at the end. But the house was packed most every night, and such a unique opportunity for a joint family experience comes all too rarely. Ask any of them, now 16 years later, about The King and I. My son will wince, my daughter will grin, and my husband will shake his head in laughter. But they’ll all agree it was a unique, fulfilling experience none of us will ever forget.

For those of you who have ever experienced that heady moment in the glare of the footlights, or who just enjoy the intimacy, and immediacy, of live theatre, our story on a local actor-turned-first-time director will likely strike a chord, and possibly encourage you to step out on the stage yourself.

Have a wonderful September, and break a leg!

Editor Sandra Polizos

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