The Laugh that changed my life

I've been me for so long now that I've forgotten a couple key mini-chapters in my life that made a difference in who I am now. The photo below inspired me to remember one of them.

Quiet, insecure and imaginative. I remember being 11 and feeling trapped inside a shell of shyness. Desperately, I wanted to throw it off, but didn't know how.

I loved watching musicals. My mom introduced me to classics like The Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady, Les Miserables and many more. My greatest wish was to be in a play just like those classics.

I don't remember how it all worked out but I got my "big break" at the local high school's production of "The Miracle Worker". We had a family friend who was the lead character Anne Sullivan. I think she talked to the director about giving my little sixth-grade self a role. Suddenly, I found myself on stage reading lines in front of high schoolers as Martha, the little servant girl.

Programs for three of the six plays I did with Sharon Ferguson.
Miracle Worker was my first and Anything Goes was my last in 2001. 

I had seven lines and it was terrifying. I wanted to crawl back in my little shell - I didn't know what I was doing and felt like everyone could tell. I timidly finished a line, wanting to quit, when a boisterous laugh came in response from the fifth or sixth row.

Loud, exaggerated and encouraging, the laugh led me on. I took a breath and read the next line.

It came again, the loud laugh that was ridiculous and encouraging all at once. Accompanying it were a few other chuckles from students. The big laugh led the way and made performing feel fun and attainable.

I found out the woman behind the laugh was Sharon Ferguson, director and high school English teacher. She welcomed me to her cast with open arms, sending me home with tapes to learn a southern accent and tips for screaming as loud as I wanted for my part.

The next rehearsal, I came back ready to try harder and feeling a little more confident. From her spot in the empty audience, she laughed at my lines again....and again. I heard that laugh innumerable times over the next six years. It became part of the fabric of life performing in my little community.

Laughing at the jokes that no one got or were too shy to do more than smile about. Even if she had heard the joke a hundred or a thousand times, she always laughed. Her laugh was always encouraging to her performers and led the way to others laughter.

That laugh drew me out of my little shell. It helped me find a little spot on the stage and taught me more about confidence and poise than I ever could have realized at the time. Only now, looking back do I know what a gift her laughter was to me.

Sharon passed away at the end of last year. I know she had a huge influence on many students during her life and her laughter will always be missed.