Many actors and actresses feel anxious before going onstage. For 15-year-old Beth Clara Bergen, this happens often. She remembers standing backstage during a performance of Les Misérables, nervousness spreading through her body. Wearing an old-fashioned yellow shirt with a green skirt, she was waiting for the signaled moment to burst into the spotlight. When it was her turn to step in, Bergen walked out onto the stage, only to be met by an innumerable number of faces, staring intently at her.
Bergen, one of many high school students who enjoy theater, has performed in many plays throughout her lifetime. Les Misé rables, also a book, is a dramatic and depressing play about the uprising of students in 19th century France.
As a ballroom dancer at a wedding scene in Les Misérables, Bergen shook with nervousness the second before she went onstage. However, that feeling soon dissipated as a new one overtook the uneasiness.
“The minute before I go onstage I usually get a wave of nervousness, like butterflies in my stomach,” Bergen said. “But the minute I get onstage, the nervousness is gone and is replaced by the rush of being in front of an audience.”
Ever since she was eight, Bergen has been doing theater, for school as well as for Peninsula Youth Theatre. As her main extracurricular activity, Bergen loves to act, especially in musicals. Not only has she been in Les Misérables, but she has also been part of Seussical, The Importance of Being Earnest, and other plays.
Some people might question the importance and point of theater, but Beth doesn’t need to think twice about acting.
“I always liked acting… like my whole life,” Bergen said. “I like pretending to be someone else.”
However, no matter how important theater is to her, school is always just as important, if not more. A junior at Palo Alto High School, Bergen takes school seriously, and definitely does not want to miss any classes.
“I hate being behind,” Bergen said. “It gets me all overwhelmed and I start flipping out.”
Beyond theater and school, Bergen has various other interests. She loves traveling, and experiencing the unique cultures of different places around the world. This summer, she journeyed to Spain and France, and would like to visit Italy next.
As well as traveling, Bergen also enjoys shopping, especially in San Francisco. After a day of continuous running around in stores, she likes to finish the day off by watching a play. Along with shopping in San Francisco, Bergen has also taken an interest to the San Francisco Giants, and enjoys watching baseball games.
As significant as acting is to her, Bergen admits that she definitely does not want acting to be her full-time job. She is considering journalism as a career, but what lies in front of her is still a mystery. Although she may not continue acting throughout her lifetime, theater will always be a part of her life.
“Acting is unstable,” Bergen said. “I need stability. But, I always want to have theater in my life, even if it means just going to see a play once in a while.”