theater. The building was one of the newer additions to the area. Probably about 20 years old. The front entrance was closed but a sign directed her to an adjacent alley and stage entrance. It gave way to a set of rooms, all covered in cloth sounding fabric. There were props and a few individuals moving about. It emanated energy - The positive kind. She caught a woman’s attention. She was dressed in opaque burgundy tights, and a brown leotard. Her hair was wild and curly with streaks of grey. She was wearing toe shoes and appeared in very good shape.
“Hi, Can I help you in some way? You look a bit lost.”
“Oh, I’m just checking it out. I was interested in local theatre and your flyer led me here. My name is Tarn Wright.”
“Hello, welcome. I’m Wendy. Welcome to the academy. I can give you a quick tour and let you know what all were about. We are an 18 year old academy of dance and music. Currently we are showing a performance of our own, which we do twice a year. At other times we welcome traveling companies to use our stage. We offer classes in both interpretive dance, voice and acting. I am the principal dancer in the current production and I’ve been here since the beginning. We are always accepting new blood if that is of any interest. Next season we are doing a musical. We are taking a stab at Chicago. It’s an untraditional rendition of an old standby. We don’t really start rolling on until August. If you’re interested I can give you what you need to apply for the company. It requires a lot of recommendations, tapes, a solid resume – you know, experience beyond high school musical stuff.”
“Well Wendy. I’m a sophomore at UMass and involved in the music program there but in terms of performance I have not really done much beyond the high school musical. I’m studying with a voice coach. You may know him – Devon Malloy?”
“I know Devon. Good to know he’s still doing his thing. He’s an excellent teacher. Very good history down in Philly.”
“Yeah, he has really helped me with my range. I am actually his, ummmm, his roommate.”
Taryn was unsure how much she should reveal about her relationship with Devon. Wendy didn’t appear surprised. She left with a laundry list of schedules and what she needed to get her foot in the door. It was going to take immense dedication to make this work while keeping up as a full-time student. Taryn was focused on putting an audition routine together and doing her research. She also got a strange sense that Wendy had an opinion of Devon that she did not share. That too would require research.
Her first stop was at the UMass music administration office. Campus was quiet. It was a hot day and the air was stagnant. She procured some e-mail addresses of music department professors she would use as references, in the hopes they would send something along to the academy. She also dropped the course she had planned to take during the summer session. There would be little time for the three day per week class and she was already ahead on the credit count.
****
Summer in Buffalo was coming to an end and both Kyle and Jackie were preparing to head to Massachusetts. Geography-wise they were set up to be close but she was planning to be a freshman and he was just returning to school. The situations were vastly different. Summer months were busy but circumstances allowed them to spend much of their time together. They would hit the ice and both spent time at Canisius. They lived in the same neighborhood. They were in a comfortable place and Kyle had to consider how this transition would play out with neither side suffering.
They had become intimate and it was a first for Jackie. He knew she imagined a future of weekend trips spent together between Boston and Amherst. He was also aware that if he ever had a free weekend it would be spent in Buffalo, close to
“Hi, Can I help you in some way? You look a bit lost.”
“Oh, I’m just checking it out. I was interested in local theatre and your flyer led me here. My name is Tarn Wright.”
“Hello, welcome. I’m Wendy. Welcome to the academy. I can give you a quick tour and let you know what all were about. We are an 18 year old academy of dance and music. Currently we are showing a performance of our own, which we do twice a year. At other times we welcome traveling companies to use our stage. We offer classes in both interpretive dance, voice and acting. I am the principal dancer in the current production and I’ve been here since the beginning. We are always accepting new blood if that is of any interest. Next season we are doing a musical. We are taking a stab at Chicago. It’s an untraditional rendition of an old standby. We don’t really start rolling on until August. If you’re interested I can give you what you need to apply for the company. It requires a lot of recommendations, tapes, a solid resume – you know, experience beyond high school musical stuff.”
“Well Wendy. I’m a sophomore at UMass and involved in the music program there but in terms of performance I have not really done much beyond the high school musical. I’m studying with a voice coach. You may know him – Devon Malloy?”
“I know Devon. Good to know he’s still doing his thing. He’s an excellent teacher. Very good history down in Philly.”
“Yeah, he has really helped me with my range. I am actually his, ummmm, his roommate.”
Taryn was unsure how much she should reveal about her relationship with Devon. Wendy didn’t appear surprised. She left with a laundry list of schedules and what she needed to get her foot in the door. It was going to take immense dedication to make this work while keeping up as a full-time student. Taryn was focused on putting an audition routine together and doing her research. She also got a strange sense that Wendy had an opinion of Devon that she did not share. That too would require research.
Her first stop was at the UMass music administration office. Campus was quiet. It was a hot day and the air was stagnant. She procured some e-mail addresses of music department professors she would use as references, in the hopes they would send something along to the academy. She also dropped the course she had planned to take during the summer session. There would be little time for the three day per week class and she was already ahead on the credit count.
****
Summer in Buffalo was coming to an end and both Kyle and Jackie were preparing to head to Massachusetts. Geography-wise they were set up to be close but she was planning to be a freshman and he was just returning to school. The situations were vastly different. Summer months were busy but circumstances allowed them to spend much of their time together. They would hit the ice and both spent time at Canisius. They lived in the same neighborhood. They were in a comfortable place and Kyle had to consider how this transition would play out with neither side suffering.
They had become intimate and it was a first for Jackie. He knew she imagined a future of weekend trips spent together between Boston and Amherst. He was also aware that if he ever had a free weekend it would be spent in Buffalo, close to
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