300 words: A night of lasts

by Katie Hyde

It would be the last time she stood on the STA stage.

It would the last time at STA she combed her blond hair back, donned her costume and applied a layer of sweat-proof foundation.

It would be the last time she stood onstage in the darkness, stomach filled with butterflies, waiting for the curtains to open and the blinding, scorching stage lights to shine upon her.

As she walked through the doors of M&A for her final performance with the STA theater program, senior Christie Fletcher tried not to cry. As she pushed open the double doors to Mrs. Prentiss’ room to prepare for “Dancing at Lughnasa” for the last time, she reminisced on the six STA shows, countless rehearsals, hundreds of inside jokes and millions of moments that make the STA stage her “home.”

She put on her “frumpy” red dress covered in small roses and a “hole-y” white cardigan and slipped her socked feet into a pair of beat up boots she’d nearly ruined after a week of pacing the stage in her role as Agnes Mundy. She watched as her male costars applied “guyliner,” lipstick and blush, randomly quoting lines from the play and bursting out in spontaneous laughter.

The cast members formed a tight circle, holding hands right over left, trying futilely not to cry. The cast ran through the tried-and-true pre-performance rituals: Prentiss’ emotional congratulations, the “shake down” to avoid jitters, the football-esque cheers and screaming, and, of course, the Banana Bunch Chant.

Christie Fletcher took the stage for the last time.

As she stood behind the curtains, waiting to begin, every moment, every joke, every belly laugh flooded her memory.

Then the curtains swung open, the lights illuminated the characters on stage and Christie Fletcher ceased to exist, replaced by Agnes Mundy.