FEED ME
Above: NATE II: Freshman Nate St. Onge performs as Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors,” the 2023 Spring Musical on March 31 in Clarke Central High School’s Mell Auditorium. Nate has been performing since he was a child, starting at the Oconee Youth School of Performance, and, after his first musical, he remained hooked on theatre. “It's kind of like (an) escape from the real world,” Nate said.
In the CCHS spring musical, “Little Shop of Horrors”, freshman Nate St. Onge was given the role of a lifetime and a chance to play a character that he relates to.
“Am I gonna hit the right note? Am I gonna forget a line? Am I gonna do something wrong?”
These thoughts run through Nate’s mind as he comes closer to performing Seymour on March 30 at Clarke Central High School in “Little Shop of Horrors”: a musical about Seymour and how he rises to success by feeding a man-eating plant, Audrey II, that he uses to kill anyone who gets in the way of his success. But when Audrey II causes the death of his loved ones, his success becomes tainted.
Nate struggles to believe his performance is enough, but he performs boldly in rehearsals and his singing shatters the sound of the negativity in his head. And for a moment, only when he is singing, he has faith in his performance.
Left: CHOICES: Freshman Nate St. Onge performs in “Little Shop of Horrors” as Seymour on March 31 at Clarke Central High School in the Mell Auditorium. Despite his years of performance experience, Nate believes he hasn’t achieved his best performance. “I think everybody in musical theater is harder on themselves,” Nate said. “No matter what you do, you're (thinking) ‘I know I can do better.’”
He performed a role that reflects his life when he took the stage as Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors”.
As Seymour discovers that Audrey II grows with every drop of blood he feeds it, Nate also learns that with every self-deprecating comment, he’s feeding his Imposter Syndrome that becomes like his own man-eating plant, Nate II.
Above: FEED ME: Freshman Nate St. Onge performs as Seymour on March 31 at Clarke Central High School in the Mell Auditorium. Nate recited words to live by that help him remember his value as a performer as he reflects on previous performances that weren’t his best. “There’s going to be a lot of times where you're going to do something, and it's just going to be crap,” Nate said. “And then there's gonna be times where it's gonna be really good.”
As Nate continues to doubt his performance, Nate II grows, and his path to success is poisoned by his struggle with self-deprecation. Each time the curtains open, his fears leave his mind, and his doubts about his worth as a performer fades. But when the lights dim, Nate II will return and continue growing.
As Nate reflects on his musical theatre experience, he bears the reproach of his hard work and dedication and regains assurance for himself. In the moment Nate gains assurance for himself, Nate II dies, and in Nate’s moment of relief, he learned to “stay strong to who you are.” Nate said.
Story by Salai Diekumpuna