Justin Renaud

Imagine rehearsing for hours and warming up your vocals for days straight for opening night. Now, picture yourself stepping on stage in full costume about to belt lyrics in front of a bunch of strangers and potentially even worse– kids from your school. Finally all eyes are on you, is the anticipation too much to handle or will you leave the auditorium in awe? Junior Joe Huhn stepped into the theatrical spotlight for the first time, ready to debut his singing talents. In a prince costume. Waving his arms in agony.
In some cases, students unwilling to try something new may miss out on opportunities that might help them in future. Although trying something new for the first time may seem scary or intimidating, it is important for students to broaden their activities in order to learn more about themselves or how they want to pursue their future.
The Rolla High School theatre department produces plays for the school every year. Looking for an opportunity to sing, Huhn auditioned for the school’s musical “Into the Woods.”
“I just really wanted to sing. I sang with a choir in Europe, but I have never been trained with them [the choir],” stated Huhn.
An important aspect of starting something new is learning techniques or methods to help improve the skill. A technique Huhn learned in theatre was how to do vibrato with his stomach, as opposed to his throat. Learning these new techniques requires a lot of time dedicated to practicing.
“I literally don’t get home [from rehearsal] till like nine. We’re supposed to leave the high school and then be there at four. Then, we’re supposed to be ready to start…We’re supposed to be in costume miked up and then starting a mic check by four thirty or four forty-five and then we start at five,” explained Huhn.
Juggling multiple activities can seem daunting, but sometimes old methods may help advance new skills. Aside from his interest in singing, Huhn also participates in RHS’s band.
“For musicals, you have to memorize your cues, which is when you go on and then you have to memorize what you say. You have to memorize how that whole scene goes. For the band, you have to memorize like ten minutes of straight movement and playing…I find that [marching band] easier, but I’ve also done it three times,” stated Huhn.
Huhn performed the song “Agony” in the musical. Performing in front of an audience was no worry for Huhn, as he is used to performing in the marching band. One of the main differences between theatre and band is that performances are more likely to be solo in theatre. This was a new experience for Huhn, as he has only performed in a choir.
“I think it’ll be more difficult than if I was just singing in a regular choir, but I don’t think it’ll be more difficult for any other reasons than if I were singing by myself,” explained Huhn.
Huhn himself does not suffer from stage fright, but he has advice for those who might.
“I wouldn’t say ‘be confident,’ is the best thing to say. I would say, ‘pretend there’s nobody there except for you and the other people in the scene,’” said Huhn.