Growing Taller

Early in my career, I played the title role in the Cole Porter musical “Kiss Me, Kate” with a summer stock theater—my first paid role. A couple of weeks into rehearsals, the director pulled me aside and said “When you walked onstage I turned to the music director and dismissed you as “Too short!” Then when you auditioned you grew two inches taller.” Over the years I have shared that story with countless students who have told me that they are too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, too old, too young, too…whatever. I’ve been 5’4” since high school (probably shrinking a bit, now) but after playing a bevy of ingenues, it had never occurred to me that I was too short for a leading lady. I only recall walking confidently onstage in my Mary Jane two-inch theatrical heels and later nailing the call-back number “I Hate Men!” with fierceness and ferocity. Unlike Alice in Wonderland, I didn’t need to drink a magical potion to grow tall. I just needed to believe that I was just right.