It’s closing night of the school play. There are tingles of excitement on this blue night while we sit in the circle before the show. Cast and crew are pleased to be surrounded by the people they spent the last two months with but heartbroken that this was the last night together as one cast. The cast and crew read their notes from the director. The feelings of having the opportunity to be the head of stage crew--feelings of opportunity, of importance, and of authority.
To be the stage manager and execute a near perfect show about a real story of a Holocaust survivor is a life changing experience. It’s closing night of Hiding In the Open and my note reads: “Nicole--You amaze me! Truly! You single-handedly managed this show--and you did so with grace and professionalism! No one else could have mastered this show the way that you have! I would LOVE to have you stage manage a show next year! Think about it! I just love you! Enjoy this last show!”
It’s not every day I get to know a teacher, advisor, and director so well that it’s just natural to call her Mom. But this fascinating five-foot English teacher, stage crew advisor, and school play director--a woman I call Mom--is Mrs. Maralynn Markano.
My sophomore year at Arrowhead High School, I had Mrs. Markano as my English 10 teacher--and her eagerness for English is evident like the sky is blue. In class, we could be engaged in conversations for hours if it weren't for the school bell ringing and letting me know I needed to mosey to my next class.
The same year, Markano encouraged me to audition for the school play, Alice in Wonderland, where she was the director. And I’m glad I did. I remember anxiously waiting on the Saturday morning for the cast list to be posted outside of room 100, Markano’s room.
My name was on the cast list! I was ecstatic to be playing a Gallery Patron and the Four of Diamonds. Not only did I get to know Markano through the school play, but I also attended stage crew on Saturdays to help build the set. This is where I found my passion--stage crew.
Junior year was full of friends and fun. This was the year I fully joined stage crew with Mrs. Markano as the advisor. Nearly every day after school, I went to the school’s theatre to enjoy time with the other ‘crewbies’ and Markano too while we joked, build, goof offed, reorganized, and most importantly, had fun! I spent the majority of my Saturdays at stage crew as well. One way Mrs. Markano is caring and nurturing is on these Saturdays. I have type one Diabetes and on Saturdays we would order pizza and soda. She always thinks of me and orders a bottle of diet soda.
One night, after a performance, the crew and Markano met up at McDonald’s to continue our festivities. This, to me, was strange (but in a good way). It was the first time I saw a teacher want to spend time with students outside of school. The highlight of the night was when Markano opened her straw and blew in it as if it were an empty bottle, making a fun whistle sound. She moved her fingers up the straw to change the pitch of the noise as if she was one of us, one of the kids. I was thrilled to make a new friend of such vast knowledge.
By the end of the year, Mrs. Markano asked me to be the stage manager for her first ever spring play, a black box production. A black box production is one where the audience sits on stage with the actors. To be the stage manager entails attending the rehearsals and taking notes. Examples of notes that a stage manager should take are who enters where, what prop gets moved from here to there, and when this light cue is supposed to occur when. They also keep the actors in check and the director sane. This type of production makes cueing the lights and sound much more difficult. But Markano chose me to run the show because of the talent and passion I have for stage crew. I am honored that she sees how much time and effort that I have put into stage crew and that I truly love theatre.
Markano is a mother--a mother not only to her two children, but also a mother to her students. This is clear through her support, encouragement, and involvement. From her entertaining rants about monkey in a box speeches in class, to the late nights and early morning I’ve spent with her painting, making props, and tracking down the lost fake lobster, I am pleased to know her in the personal way I do. This is why I nominate my second mom, Mrs. Maralynn Markano, as educator of the year.