Always the back-up singer and never the headliner. That’s the story of Drew’s life. Once Drew discovered musicals, his life was one big song – whether you wanted to hear it or not. For the most part, it’s the latter.
With auditions for his school’s summer musical fast approaching, Drew thought he could score a leading role by becoming known around the cafeteria as “the” singer. Meaning, when people wonder who should play a certain role, there’s only one name that comes to mind. That’s no easy feat and he was determined to, well, prove that – embarrassingly.
The cafeteria was a hub of social activity in Drew’s school. Before class in the morning, at lunchtime, after class and throughout the school day, dozens – if not hundreds – of kids would hang out at the long communal tables. Whether it was to actually eat or just kill time between classes (or skip them), the cafeteria was the first place you’d look if you wanted to find someone.
Thinking he could build up hype and have his first viral moment, Drew began putting up cryptic signs about the musical’s auditions. His messages teased everything from, “There’s only one person for the role” and “Know who’s going to play him?” with pictures of the character from the show. It had people talking but not in wonderment about what it all meant. It was more like, “What the hell is this?”
Believing that the hype was building, Drew’s messaging became more vague – almost creepy. At times the signage just had his initials. It led some people to think it was possibly gang activity or some kind of school threat. Again, all without Drew knowing he was starting to freak out his peers.
Now, after weeks of teasing and building suspense for the reveal of what his attempted popularity campaign would mean (a surprise performance by the kid himself), Drew posted a date, time and location (the cafeteria) – that’s all. Instantly, this was reported to the school’s administration who called local law enforcement.
Getting dressed in a costume of the character whom he’d hope to play onstage, Drew anxiously looked at the clock and got into the mindset of a Broadway star. “Five minutes to curtain,” he said to himself, using theatre lingo. Unbeknownst to him, authorities were on hand, lying in wait so to speak, to see what would happen at, well, curtain time.
Anticipating a crowd of hundreds, clamoring to see what the fuss was about, Drew anxiously made his way to the cafeteria across the school. Curious about the lack of foot traffic and ominous silence, Drew expected it was people waiting in their seats for his arrival.
As he rounded the corner and opened the first set of doors in the vending machine area before going through the next doors to enter the cafeteria, Drew was immediately told to put his hands up and get on the ground. He was busted for making threats – in his now-evacuated high school.
Explaining his intent was anything but nefarious, Drew pleaded with officers to understand his story. He was handcuffed and presented to the principal who confirmed Drew’s attendance at the school. That seemed to work in his favor because the principal knew Drew’s interest in music and theatre. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a guarantee that revelation would keep Drew out of trouble.
Armed with the various signs throughout his campaign, Drew was able to explain and make sense of each of the “clues” contained within. After it all checked out – including a police search of Drew’s bedroom at home – he was cleared of any wrongdoing and faced no criminal action, or discipline at the school. Though disappointed, Drew said the principal applauded the creativity and effort to bring joy to the school – but, you know, like, never do it again.
Oh, and he didn’t get the part.