Sheldon, whose musical dreams had been shattered, quickly turned his attention to the school's drama club.
He won the praise of Mr. Lundy, the drama teacher, with an emotional monologue from "King Lear."
"Sheldon, I've never seen such a talented young actor…" In the rehearsal room, Lundy excitedly stood up and invited, "Welcome to our team."
"Hmmph—" Sheldon, who had been praised, slightly tilted his head back, a look of smugness on his face.
No matter what, "drama" was also a form of art, and Sheldon, who had given up his musical dreams, had not yet given up his pursuit of art.
"So, Sheldon, would you be willing to participate in our next performance as the 'protagonist'?" Mr. Lundy asked with interest.
The drama club had a large stage performance once a month, and now there was less than three weeks until the next performance.
It had never happened before for a newcomer to take on the heavy responsibility of the lead role in such a short period of time.
It could be said that Mr. Lundy was truly optimistic about Sheldon's talent in drama.
"Of course, if you need me." Being valued by others gave Sheldon a great sense of accomplishment. Finally, he asked, "What is the play we're performing next?"
"Anne…"
…
Three weeks passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the drama club's public performance.
"Why do I have to come to school on Saturday?" Georgie, walking into the campus, complained unhappily.
Yes, the drama club's performance was on the weekend, and the location was in the school's large conference room.
Most of the audience were drama enthusiasts living nearby, while another part consisted of parents who came to support their children's performance.
The Cooper family belonged to the second type, and Connie and Mike were also forcibly invited to watch Sheldon's first drama performance.
This time watching the drama performance was also a small family group activity for the Cooper family.
"Mike, do you think Sheldon will play a tree today?" Missy happily chatted with Mike.
Actually, Missy didn't care what Sheldon played. Being able to spend the weekend with Mike already made the little girl very happy.
You know, usually Mike's weekend time was mostly occupied by Cady and other girls.
"Probably not." Mike, who rarely had free time, said, "I heard that Sheldon's role this time is very important."
Before Missy could speak again, Connie, who was with them, smiled and said, "Actually, I have exclusive news here. Sheldon will be on stage as the protagonist this time."
No wonder Sheldon was close to Connie; during this time, in order to hone his acting skills, he had consulted his grandmother many times about performance-related matters.
And Connie also got some inside information about the performance from her little grandson.
In fact, Connie, who knew some of the chaotic situations in the "entertainment industry," was very unoptimistic about Sheldon joining the drama club.
However, seeing her little grandson working so hard for the performance, Connie still showed a supportive attitude.
"Sheldon is going to play the protagonist? How is that possible…" Georgie, hearing the inside news, raised his doubts.
You know, generally, people who can play the protagonist on the drama stage need long-term acting practice.
…
"Alright, stop talking. We're here." Arriving at the entrance of the school's large conference room, Mary stopped her eldest son's nagging and said, "Anyway, we'll know the truth in a moment."
The school's large conference room, which could seat more than five hundred people, was now half-filled. The Cooper family easily found excellent viewing spots in the front row.
Backstage, Sheldon, who was preparing for the performance, became more and more nervous as the performance time approached.
Wearing a small "Anne" dress, he held a fuchsia wig in his hand and looked at Mr. Lundy with difficulty.
"Can I not wear this wig? It makes me feel very uncomfortable." Sheldon asked.
"No, no, no— This is just a prop, you need it…" Mr. Lundy said, walking forward to help him put on the shoulder-length wig.
Then, he walked around Sheldon, admiring him for a circle, and praised, "Perfect, you are the 'Anne' in my heart—"
Sheldon, who was over nine years old, had not yet begun to show male characteristics. With a fair and tender little face, after some dressing up, he looked very much like a cute little girl.
This also happened to meet the identity requirements of little Anne.
"Okay—" Seeing the admiring expressions of many actors next to him, Sheldon accepted his new "image."
Then, waiting for the performance, he was inevitably disturbed by the noisy sounds from the front desk. Immediately, he came to the curtain, carefully lifted a corner, and looked out.
The dense crowd of audience members instantly triggered Sheldon's "panic attack."
"Sheldon, what's wrong?" Mr. Lundy, who was paying attention to the backstage situation, noticed Sheldon's abnormality.
"I, I can't do it…" Sheldon, trembling uncontrollably, even started to stutter when he spoke.
"Relax, Sheldon, it's nothing…" Mr. Lundy understood very well what Sheldon, who had not received formal actor training, needed now.
So, he continued in an encouraging voice, "Liberating your nature is a compulsory course for actors. Just pretend the audience below are all cabbages…"
"Cabbages?"
After the other party's comfort, Sheldon calmed down a bit. But as soon as he thought of performing in front of so many strangers, he said helplessly, "No, no, I still can't do it—"
Sheldon, who took off his wig, was covered in sweat on his forehead because he was too nervous.
And at this moment, as the drama club's performance time arrived, a female announcer walked onto the stage and began to announce, "Next, please enjoy the drama performance brought to you by the drama club. The play is 'Anne'—"
Accompanied by sparse applause, the Cooper family all showed surprised expressions.
"'Anne'? Connie, are you sure Sheldon is the protagonist of this play?" Mary's eyes widened as she asked.
"I don't know, probably." Connie replied uncertainly.
The play "Anne" is widely popular in America, and almost everyone knows that the protagonist of this play is a woman.
The thought of her little son dressing up as a little girl made Mary feel a little uncomfortable.
"Maybe I remembered wrong." Seeing her daughter's unhappiness, Connie immediately added another explanation.
Of course, Connie also prayed in her heart that her little grandson would not be the "protagonist."
However, Georgie and Missy, who were beside her, were full of anticipation for Sheldon's cross-dressing look.
Even Mike, unusually, became interested.
The combination of the words "Sheldon" and "female attire" sounded very dramatic.
The performance on stage had already begun, and as the play "Anne" progressed, it was finally the turn of the protagonist "Anne" to appear.
"Oh, the weather is so cold, my sheep…"
Accompanied by a rough line, the bloated Mr. Lundy, wearing that comical fuchsia wig, appeared on stage.
He used all his strength to try to play a poor shepherdess.
It was just that his tall stature didn't match the weak and pitiful shepherdess at all, only making people feel disgusted.
And in Texas, where male chauvinism was prevalent, Mr. Lundy's current behavior could be considered very dedicated and courageous.
"By the way, what's my next line?" Mr. Lundy, who hadn't rehearsed beforehand, took advantage of a break in his blocking to bend down and quietly ask for help from the actor dressed as a "little sheep" beside him.