Reporter John Oliva on what it’s like to perform with Harbor Playhouse

Whenever a musical is held at Aurora Arts Theatre or Harbor Playhouse, I am more than happy to showcase and highlight the power and talent of community theater through coverage in the Caller-Times.

To be honest, there’s always a piece of me wishing I was onstage acting and dancing (not so much singing). Well, now I get to have that experience as I’ve been cast in Harbor Playhouse’s fall production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”

I have not sung in front of a crowd since fifth grade in 2003, I have not acted in front of a crowd since eighth grade in 2006 and I have not danced in front of a crowd since 2009, my junior year of high school. But from Sept. 26 through Oct. 26, you can catch me doing all three for 15 shows. Grab your tickets at harborplayhouse.com!

So, why did I decide to finally audition for a play?

While I was covering Harbor’s production of “Hairspray,” my friend, Desiree Cantu, was starring in the show as Lou Ann, one of the “coolest kids in town.” I asked her about the upcoming auditions for “Legally Blonde,” as she’s directing it, and she told me I should audition. She said she could see me playing the role of Nikos.

From left, John Oliva, portraying Nikos, and Ramiro Gonzalez, portraying a bailiff, rehearse a scene from “Legally Blonde: The Musical” on Sept. 24 at the Harbor Playhouse in Corpus Christi.

I told her I had no idea who that was and I didn’t think I was a good singer. She told me that character doesn’t sing, so it would work out for me.

I went home, talked to my husband about it, thought about it and decided to audition. I figured if I didn’t get it, at least I tried.

The day of auditions, I was nervous. I recognized people, as I had interviewed some and taken photos of others, but I had maybe only really talked to a few of them. I felt like a fish out of water and felt way out of my league. I mean, I didn’t even know what vocal range I was (apparently, I’m a bass).

I learned an audition song and some quick choreography, and then found out I had to audition in front of everyone else there. It was very nerve-racking, but I was able to do it.

A few days later, I got the call that I was cast as Nikos Argitakos, a closeted gay man who lies about having an affair with Brooke Wyndham. You might better know him as Enrique in the film — “Don’t stomp your little last-season Prada shoes at me, honey!”

Then came weeks of music rehearsals, blocking, helping create sets, costume fittings and running lines.

I had no clue how intricate a musical is — just with singing alone. The layers vocalists have to weave together to ensure a song sounds great is crazy. I always thought they just sang the lyrics and that was that, but it was not the case as you have some people singing harmony and others singing a pitch higher or lower. My brain hurts just thinking about it.

Joslin Granados, portraying Elle Woods, and Alyce Oblad, portraying Paulette Buanafonte, rehearse a scene from “Legally Blonde: The Musical” on Sept. 24 at the Harbor Playhouse in Corpus Christi.

Now with this column, I do want to talk about my personal experience — the good and the bad.

I did feel like the odd man out early on. Every time I’ve written stories about the theaters, people have talked about the sense of community and feeling included. Everyone was super welcoming and friendly during auditions for “Legally Blonde,” but I did not experience that sense of community I had heard about right away.

I had spoken with several of these actors for stories and shot photos of them, but we didn’t necessarily know each other. They all knew each other from previous productions, so they had their own communities already. I was new and only really knew about four people.

There were some days I wasn’t included in conversations or I’d be sitting by myself before rehearsal. I’m not going to lie — it was lonely and I thought maybe I was the problem.

After a few weeks, people started to include me in conversations, and friendships started to blossom. Finding a community just took a little bit longer than expected, but I’m very grateful for the new friendships I’ve made along the way.

Manny Cabrera is a great scene partner and helped me explore new ideas; Damien De La Cruz helped me so much with singing and finding the right pitch; Sabrina Salazar is so friendly and a great person to gab with; Preston Sneed is the sweetest guy ever; Joslin Granados is a striking person to admire and be around; and Court Hill is the best older brother/dad who is the first to help you with anything you need.

I don’t want my other cast and crew members to feel left out — y’all are all incredibly talented and are beyond phenomenal. I’m just lucky to be included in this production and share the stage with y’all.

These nine weeks of hard work will be worth it for these 15 shows we will kill.

So, if you’re thinking about auditioning for a play at Harbor Playhouse or Aurora Arts Theatre sometime soon, I highly recommend it. Sure, there might be moments of self-doubt or insecurity, but it helps you grow and be better. Just keep tabs on when auditions are for a play you’re interested in and go try it out.

What, like it’s hard?

John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at [email protected].

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(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)

Correction: A previous version of this story included an incorrect name of a “Legally Blonde: The Musical” character in a photo caption.