Nine writers recount their search — and what they found
My first formal role, at seven years old, as Sleeping Beauty in a camp production, secured my dedication to the acting world. The thrill of transforming into another character and another life, and the attention I got from the director and my peers, all of it gave me a heady feeling of excitement and satisfaction — I was special and unique.
Throughout grade school and high school, acting became a safe haven for me in a storm of academic and social challenges. Never a top student academically or particularly popular, I felt like a persona non grata at my pluralistic Jewish school. But my low self-esteem rose when my classmates referred to me as “the actress.” I became queen of extracurricular activities, taking classes in singing, acting, and all forms of dancing — jazz, ballet, hip-hop — becoming, as they say in the business, a “triple threat.”
Summers were devoted to performing arts camps, many whose acceptance was contingent on auditions, which culminated in a play at the end of the session.
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