Charlie's Drama Club

Charlie was a terrible actor

I wish I could tell you differently
But unfortunately
It sort of is what it is
And what it is was--

He was a bad actor

So of course
Being a high school drama teacher
I made him a stage manager

As it turns out
He wasn't very good at that either

We have this thing in theater called blocking
It means how people move around onstage
And the stage manager writes down
Where the director--that was me
Wants them to move

Well, Charlie would come up with this code
This weird blocking code
That only he could understand
Except he couldn't
He couldn't understand it

He understood it at the time
Then a week later
I'd see him looking at his promptbook
As if it were all in braille

And I would say--

'Charlie, at what point do I have Juliet stabbing herself?'

And he'd say--

'Blue monkey don't get it.'

Which was code for--

Who knows what it was code for?

So then I made him the box office manager
And he really wanted to do a good job
Which meant coming up with this elaborate
Subscription package
And keep in mind
This is high school

I said, 'Charlie, did you offer to sell the principal a Faculty Subscription?'
And he said, 'It was a better deal for her.  She can see two shows and change her tickets at the last minute.'

I didn't know what to do with Charlie

It was clear that he loved the theater
But he just didn't seem to have a place in it
Which broke my heart
Because...

I like to believe the theater is a place for everyone
That it's inclusive
That it's about letting people in
Being welcoming
And inviting
And...

And I couldn't find a place for Charlie in it

One day, I walked by the auditorium
As school was letting out
And I saw Charlie
Sitting on the stage

I asked him what he was doing
And he said he wasn't going to be in drama club anymore

I asked him why
Even though part of me already knew the answer

'I don't belong here,' he said

I started to tell him that he was just a kid
That nobody expected him to be perfect
At anything at that point in his life
But he just shook his head
And hopped down from the stage

'Thank you,' he said, 'It was fun while it lasted'

And he walked out of the auditorium

I went up and sat on that stage
In the same place where Charlie sat
And I looked out into an empty auditorium

You know, some people have church
I have the theater

I treat it with respect
And I teach my students too as well

I sat on that stage
And I said a prayer for Charlie

That he would find his place
Wherever it was
And that it would be fulfilling for him

Theater teaches us that there's a role for everyone
That everyone deserves a chance to shine

I hope Charlie had that chance
If nothing else, he has this
His big night

A night where, for all of us
He's the star