Remember your first kiss? It was probably awkward. Someone may have blushed; hopefully no one laughed.
Whether it lived up to the hype, or left a lot to be desired, you always remember your first kiss.
Imagine sharing that moment with your entire high school, or worse, an audience full of parents and teachers.
Welcome to high school drama.
This fall, students at City High in Iowa City performed the play “Almost, Maine” by John Cariani. Set in a snowy fictional town where characters carry their broken hearts around with them in their purses and jilted girlfriends return all the love ever given to them in large pink garbage bags, teenage actors dealt with the toughest thing there is in theater: the kissing scene.
The first few practices, students acted right up to the kiss. Then they giggled, blushed, mumbled something about, “Then we should, you know, um, kiss,” and moved on to the next line - without kissing.
During the second week of rehearsal, the directors no longer allowed the actors to skip over the kisses. Luckily, Doug Lestina, Troy Peters and Janet Schlapkohl all have years of theater experience behind them to help direct the smooching scenes on stage.
Thus, battling fear, anxiety, and the flu, City High prepared for opening night and the kissing.