A Voice From The Voiceless

This post is from Michaela Morton. In addition to playing a number of roles in Open Dream's Big Shoes, Michaela wrote the script!

I'm informed that our ensemble is historically unfortunate: in one week, two triplets struck voiceless and a third castmate compromised by flu. Dare I mention that this same week, Carmen opened downtown (featuring Ted, that same flu-bitten baritone), and our schedule was made up of straight two-a-days? But If we're historically unfortunate, we're also hysterically brave. After two days of cancellations, enough was enough. We marched over to the High Point theater. We warmed up what was left of our voices. And we lip-synced. Julianne and Haydee masterfully covered for Deepish and Weepish (they covered for just about every one of my roles, actually). I gulped down applesauce. The next day, with Ted sleeping away his sickness, William played every singing male, belting out 3/4 of the shows' musical numbers. Marine lifted everything while I watched in nausea. And Friday it was me who capitulated, spending the morning at PrimeCare while Julianne picked up my purple leotard and middle harmony. If I thought Open Dream was a good team before, I'm awed now. Plus, the disaster showed me how flexible Big Shoes is as a show. Though not every compromise was ideal, BS survived without becoming ... BS-y. And this week, as the wind picks up all along the East Coast, we're hollering above it -- with lungs refreshed!