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By
FRANCINE L. TREVENS
A
fourteen year
old girl, Mary Claire Miskell, who has taken dancing lessons
since she was four, “more like calisthenics then,” she recalls,
moved into modern dance and movement which introduced her to “the
musical thing.” “My
mom always liked musicals, my dad was not a big fan.” When
she was six, Mary Claire wanted to style food for magazines or the
food network. At seven-ish she found TADA! children’s theatre,
where her mom took her to see different plays. Then she entered
their summer program and enjoyed it immensely. Later she joined
the regular school year program and even played the lead in one
production. She really enjoyed it. At
thirteen, she realized “I can't keep doing this. I can't rely
on it. So I wanted to be a teacher, teach little kids, connect with
younger kids in a way they can understand.” Working
at the kids theatre had shown her she had a flair for dealing with
the younger children. It also had shown her being in a musical
was lots of hard work. Still, when an audition notice was posted
and a lot of her cast mates decided to audition notice
for “13”, a musical to be produced on Broadway, she decide to audition
too.
She
never dreamed she'd end up on Broadway as 2008 drew to a close. “I was really surprised during my audition:
everyone was so professional and calm and assured. Many had been
on Broadway before. I didn't think I stood a chance. “I
said to myself, ‘just do this, get through it, you can't compete,’”
recalled the longhaired youngster. She went to several callbacks
with the same lack of expectation as she learned of the impressive
credits of the others auditioning. Mary Claire had only performed
with children’s theatre, while one kid auditioning had been
on Broadway 4 times. Convinced
she didn't have a chance, she wasn't awaiting word or expecting
any. So
when one day in school she was called to the office, she wondered
if either her mom or dad were ill, or what was wrong that she had
a phone call important enough to take her out of class. After
the call she rushed downstairs to call her mom. “I
was not emotional, I thought, ‘are they kidding?’ I was surprised.
It opened up so many things. Don't know if another call
for the rest of my life could make me so happy.” Her reaction
was as much a surprise to her as the call itself. Maybe it
was only then
that she realized she really wanted this. Her mom was thrilled
and her dad totally supportive. Both parents had to put themselves
out to help Mary Claire getting to and from rehearsals and performances
and sometimes picking up and delivering homework when Mary Claire
had to miss classes. Mary
Claire learned she had been hired to understudy five roles in “13.”
“Each role was more difficult than anything I had ever done,” she
said. She
was tentative before her first rehearsal, because she was used to
the warm, supportive atmosphere of TADA! and feared she'd feel out
of place at the “13”
rehearsals. The other kids were mostly
strangers to each other also, and they were all friendly. She
attended rehearsals, followed the various actors, writing down their
blocking. Occasionally, there'd be a call, “Understudies,
kick into gear,” One smart move she made, among countless others,
“I used a different color to write down each person’s blocking.” It’s
often hard enough for an actor or dancer to remember her place on
the stage – but remembering for 5 different people was indeed
a challenge. Writing it all down and being able to figure
it out at a glance was especially important in terms of the many
dance numbers, for one misstep and a whole group of dancers could
be thrown off. Getting all of this straight in her head and
memory, while keeping up with schoolwork was indeed a challenge. “After
performances began, we got our understudy rehearsals, we worked
on stage and they concentrated on us.” All
understudies were assured they would get to go on Broadway at least
once. Still it was boring sitting at the theatre during performances,
a major part of the understudy routine. When
told what day she was scheduled to go on Broadway, she told pals,
and 50 people made a group from TADA! to attend her Broadway debut. But
something happened before that date. She
was sitting around in her p.js doing homework when the phone call
came, she was going on sooner than expected – right away -
and in a different role! “We
called everyone in our phone books. I kept playing the music
as I was getting ready. Mom did my hair. I was so overwhelmed,
I had no time to be nervous. It was days before I was scheduled
to go on to play Charlotte on Nov.16. I had to go on as Lucy
right away on Nov. 11!” Charlotte
is the one who spreads gossip, more part of the ensemble than a
major role. Lucy is a stereotypical wealthy girl, everyone
praises her, she takes control. She was like a little Napoleon
as she was the smallest in the group and she was bossing a girl
5’ 9”. Mary
Claire was much taller than the original Lucy, but she played it
just fine. “That
first performance I was on auto pilot. I had so much adrenaline.
I was so focused. It all went by really fast.
‘What just happened?’ I asked myself. Getting into the high heels
the buckle went through my finger, it was throbbing all through
the performance. I held my hand at an odd angle and almost
lost my balance. I was so relieved when it was over.” All
of the understudies did go on at least once, one went on twelve
times. Mary Claire went on again as Lucy Jan 3 for both
performances, four times on Broadway total. The kid
with the most previous experience went on the least often. Christopher
Gattelli, the choreographer was very different than choreographers
Mary Claire had worked with before. “It was an honor to work
with him. He was always serious and worked faster than the ones
I was used to working with. Lots of drilling and correcting us constantly.” She
reports all her friends at school and TADA! were delighted and excited
for her. They came to her performances. It made no difference
in their relationships with her at the children’s theatre.
“We're all close there and happy for each other,” she summed up
their reactions. Her
plans for the future – she'll go back to TADA! and continue
her training and old routine. Who
can predict what her life’s goals will be when she’s seventeen?
Maybe we have a clue in her remark, “Don't know if another call
for the rest of my life could make me so happy.” Whatever
the future holds, Mary Claire Miskell has been on Broadway, an experience
she will never forget. |
