30 Days of NYMF: Day 16 WATER & POWER

Kate Chao
4th Grade Student at Marquez Charter Elementary School
"Plumy" - WATER & POWER

When I arrived at Marquez Elementary as a fourth grader, I was immediately dazzled. For me, it was like heaven on earth, with the gardens, the playgrounds, and the view of the Ocean. I did not think school life could get better.

When I entered Mr. Lantos's fifth grade classroom and saw the piano, I was happily confused. Soon I learned of the musicals. This concept of singing and learning was new to me. Boy, was it fun. Sure, I didn't get the lead parts, but that's not important when your singing and dancing while the third and fourth graders are taking a test. It was a surprise that everybody didn't sign up for the after-school play. That year, our after-school performance of Plymouth 2.0 went to the Los Angeles Musical Theater Festival. The experience was magical.

This year, when the fresh cast walks into rehearsal like any other Wednesday, Mr. Lantos announces that we have been invited to fly all the way across the country to perform in New York!

As the summer began, we realized that our play Carry On, about Brown vs. the Board of Education, might not be appropriate outside of school since we were doing a play about African-American's rights, and we only had one African-American actor in the cast. We switched to our current play, Water and Power. We had about fourteen rehearsals to work the magic, which doesn't come easy.

Even with the looming deadline coming extremely close, everyone manages to squeeze in the fun, the laughter, and the pure joy of doing what you love. I'm just glad that Mr. Lantos introduced me to the performing arts. As we count down to the performance, I joked with Mr. Lantos that next time, were going to go on tour and work the magic all over the country. Whether or not that happens, I know I'm coming back next year to experience the fun and joy all over again.