Adam Ziegler is in his element up in the catwalks: bringing the magic of light into the theatre below; creating the illusions of color and shadow, helping to transport the audience into the world of the play; he wants to run the spot, not be in it. Adam’s still lost after the tragic death of his father two years ago and even though darkness brings up terrible anxiety for him, being a Techie in the theatre department at his high school gives him a safe, secure place to try to survive. But a few days before the opening of the spring show, nothing about the productions is running smoothly and Derek, the power-hungry student production designer, focuses his manipulative eye on Adam and subtly starts blaming all of the production’s problems on Tech. And to make life even more confusing, Adam notices a beautiful actress and is instantly smitten. But to fight for his place in the theatre and to pursue Summer would mean stepping out of the shadows, facing his fears, crossing his best friend, and definitely breaking the school’s golden rule: actors and techies do not mix.
Allen Zadoff’s latest, My Life, The Theater, and Other Tragedies, was a time machine for me. It transported me completely and wholly back to my days in the high school theatre. When Mr. Apple, the beleaguered, overweight gay drama teacher tells Adam about the love that was born the first time he was on stage: ” Being onstage. That was extraordinary. I was ten years old, but I knew right away. Theater was the greatest drug in the world,” made me remember with crystal clarity that first moment when I was onstage and how intoxicating and enlivening it was. Throughout every page of this insightful, funny book, I was reliving the ups & downs, the frenetic anxiety & blood-pumping thrills, and enormous melodrama that is the theatre (and high school), and enjoying every minute of it.
- Posted by Cori