01x08 - Spotlight

[bunniefuu]

[principal on PA]
Good afternoon, Brandon High School.

Tonight is a big night on campus,

a night of marvelous acts
portraying Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.

When you're a teenager and you're
growing up and you're developing

and you're finding out who you are,

there's no better way to figure that out

and explore that
than through drama and acting.

But students are under a lot of pressure.

Anytime they're gonna get up in front
of their school community and perform,

you know, their street cred is at risk.

I never thought that I would be somewhere
on a stage actually saying something.

Whenever I stand up there, the line
just immediately leaves my brain.

With theater, you're forced
to get out of your comfort zone.

-[sighs] Oh, God.
-Listen, you're gonna do great.

[chattering]

-[girl] Three minutes!
-Hey, man.

I'm kinda nervous.
I got butterflies in my stomach.

The message of the play
is to face your fears.

-Okay. We gotta go.
-I'm getting placed.

And we're all doing that.

[teacher] Brandon, Florida, is a
city mostly centered on a single highway,

and everything's just gone
from the highway,

and then you just build slowly
away from the highway.

Brandon is known as a great stopover

between a more metropolitan Tampa
and a more rural Plant City.

[Sparano] Brandon High School
is a very traditional neighborhood school.

It's your typical high school of today,
not the ones you see on TV.

It is real-life.

[Sparano] We have approximately


We're a Title I school,

so that means about 68% of our students
receive free or reduced lunch.

[Ms. Kyle] When our students come here,

a great deal of them are looking
for comfort or some kind of a true home

because they might not have it at home.

[Sparano on PA] Today our boys'
tennis team takes on East Bay.

Softball plays Durant,
and Baseball competes against Newsome.

Both of those games are here at home
beginning at 7 p.m. Go Eagles.

[Ms. Kyle] Brandon High School
is known for its athletics,

lots of years of state championships,

and not necessarily
for its theater program.

I remember when I was in high school,

I could go back to my theater family,
and I wanted to bring that to students.

[Sparano] Courtney mentioned
that she would really like

to teach drama full-time.

The theater department
was an after-school club.

It wasn't an established program
that was full-time, six classes a day.

I said, "We gotta get the numbers up
'cause in order to generate the classes,

we have to have students
that want to take the class."

She researched something
that would really engage our students,

and she got their input
and their feedback,

and the Marvel plays were
what really got their juices flowing.

[Ms. Kyle] When I was looking
at what plays to license

for this season's performance, the
Marvel Spotlight plays really stood out.

They're a collection of stage plays about
characters in the known Marvel Universe,

and any high school can perform them.

Each play is written for high school.

They're written for high schoolers.
They're written for their mentality,

things that they are going through
in a way that they may not even realize,

"Oh, I'm going through this,"
because it's a superhero doing it.

Just the interest and the love of Marvel
that I saw in my classrooms

made me want to say,
"Well, this will be cool."

Maybe it'll draw more interest in
the theater program...

and, even if not that, maybe my students
will pick up some kind of... something.

[chuckles]

Hey, guys. You guys okay?

You can come in. Yes.

No phones. Either plug 'em in
or put them in your bags.

I have two classes performing this year.

Put your stuff away.

All you need is a pencil,
and your bags need to be over there.

Sixth period is doing Ms. Marvel.

They are a Theater 1 class.

Most have never taken
a theater class before.

I am going to give you paper
with some lines on it.

It may not be the part
that you're actually gonna get,

it's just seeing, kind of,
what choices you make while reading.

Does that make sense?

[Bri] I was just handed a paper

and was told I only have a few minutes
to study and then, "Bam!"

I had to do it.

[Ms. Kyle] Also, on the back
is the origin story of Ms. Marvel.

[Bri] When Ms. Kyle told us
that we're doing this Marvel play,

a lot of people were excited.

[Ms. Kyle] You guys need
to also be good audience members.

What does that mean you need to do
after someone auditions?

All right. Here we go.

When you are ready,
just take a breath, and you got this.

You good? Score.

[Ery] Going into the audition, I felt like
I had everything under control.

[sighs]

But once I got into the actual spotlight,

I lost everything.

[Jamaul] I was nervous acting
because I didn't know

how it was going to go,
and it was my first time.

It was kind of nerve-racking, scary.

I'm hoping to get the part of Kamala Khan.

She's a very interesting character,

and I found, like,
a way to connect with her

better than any other superhero
I've really read or seen.

She has a little bit
of every single superhero in her,

along with just being
a regular normal girl.

[Jamaul] Ms. Marvel is about Kamala Khan.

She's a high school student,

and she has these polymorphic powers.

She gets giant fists,

she can grow her fists,
and she can grow her feet.

[breathes heavily] Ow!

"Don't even think about it, tree.

If I can take burglars and bad guys,
I can take you."

[Ery] She does save someone's life,

and that's when she starts thinking that,
"Oh, I could actually be a superhero."

"What a night. I was stealthy.
I was sassy. I was super strong.

Yes. I k*lled it."

But she's living a double life.
Like, she's a superhero at night,

and then a regular student during the day.

Everybody at school notices
that Kamala doesn't have time for school.

Bruno, her good friend,
is protecting her secret.

"So, yeah, I had a crush on her,

but she never really showed
any interest, right?"

"She has this,
I guess I can say, part-time job."

"Tonight was my best fight ever.

I'm sure it's all over the news by now."

"Ms. Marvel,
Jersey City's new local hero."

"How did I not make the news?"

[Trinity] She just wants
recognition for her hard work.

She's always struggling to get it,
but she's discouraged that she doesn't.

[student 1] "What about
on my favorite fan fiction site?

Nothing?"

[Ms. Kyle] So that kind of gets her
a little bit downhearted,

so she writes stories
about herself saving the day.

"Well, like they say, 'You want
something done right, do it yourself.'"

[Ms. Kyle] In the end, Kamala realizes

that she needs to get out
of the screen of her laptop.

What matters is how she sees herself
and not how anyone else sees her.

-Thank you.
-[applause]

[school bell rings]

[Ms. Kyle] All right, guys. Let's go.

Seventh period are my Theater 2s and 3s.

So they have taken theater
prior years in high school.

Andrew.

They are doing
Squirrel Girl Goes to College.

Joey.

The play is totally different.

It's not like you're watching something
super serious or super dark.

You know? It's more comical.

[Ms. Kyle] Those that want to prove
themselves for those larger characters

are gonna try
to make themselves stand out.

I really, really wanted to get the role
of Squirrel Girl.

[Ms. Kyle] Madi, you're next.

[Madi] I feel like I connect with her.

And superhero is about personality.
It's about your mental strength.

-Good?
-[Ms. Kyle] When you are ready.

I wanted to put myself out there and say,
"I'm capable of being this person."

"I'm capable of being a Marvel superhero."

[Ms. Kyle] Squirrel Girl Goes to College
is about Doreen Green,

who has developed these squirrel abilities
and the ability to talk to squirrels.

Doreen is going to college.

She's taking her best friend, Tippy-Toe,
who's a squirrel.

But Doreen really wants human friends.

"Now that I'm an adult,
real human friends are..."

"...they're just human."

[Madi] She makes two really good friends,
Nancy and Tomás,

but she's a superhero,
and she struggles with,

"Should I trust you with this secret?"

"What if they freak out?"

"What if my secret is just a burden
to them?"

But that's when M.O.D.O.C. comes in.

"I will connect their brains to mine,
suck out all of their knowledge..."

"...and turn it into code
and conquer the world."

[Joey] M.O.D.O.C. is your average
villain. He's out to get Squirrel Girl

and take over the world,
every villain's dream.

[laughs]

Ha! Ha! Ha!

[applause]

[Izzy] Eventually, at the end,

you see her come together
with her friends,

and they stop M.O.D.O.C. because
she finally reveals who she really is.

The lesson is,
you should trust your friends.

You should trust
the people you care about.

Thank you.

And that's it.

-[Ms. Kyle chuckles] Thank you.
-[applause, cheers]

-[school bell rings]
-[chattering]

[Joey] Wait, I got this period next.

[chattering continues]

[Ms. Kyle] Casting is always
very stressful,

but the auditions were what
I based everything on.

I try to go in very unbiased.

Some of the kids I know
will end up being disappointed.

I know others will look at the list,

and I hope it will make them very happy
and excited that I believe in them...

because this is in-class production.

It's learning. It's not just, "Let me
throw you on stage and just do it."

[chattering]

Oh, my gosh. I can't wait.

If I get M.O.D.O.C. that would be--

[Ms. Kyle] Everyone is coming in
at basically the same levels,

and they need to work together,

and it needs to become their show,
their ownership.

And if they have ownership of each
individual part, then it'll be a success.

-It's not up yet. It'll be up soon!
-It's not up yet.

[girl] My God!

-[Joey] I thought I heard footsteps.
-[Madi] Is she coming up now?

It's happening! It's happening.
Rowan's running this way.

-It's happening. It's happening.
-[girl] That's definitely not Rowan.

-Back away.
-[girl] Back away y'all.

-Come on. Come on.
-[Darence] I'm back. I'm back.

-Is she posting names? Is it gonna be--
-[girl] What the--

-Stay there.
-[Rowan] Stay. Stay.

Stay until the door shuts.

-That's the door. Stay there.
-[Rowan] I'm holding shorty.

[screams]

[laughs, screams]

-[Darence] I'm Brightmind.
-[Madi] Oh, my God!

-M.O.D.O.C.!
-Oh, you're M.O.D.O.C.?

[Joey] I got M.O.D.O.C., the supervillain.

So I'm gonna bring
some sinister comedy, honestly.

Something that's, like, villain-ish,

but still, like, lighthearted,
because it is a high school play.

Oh, my God!

I got Doreen Green.
I'm Squirrel Girl. [chuckles]

That's why I was like--

It definitely took me by surprise.

Like, your head pops off and everything
goes [imitates expl*si*n] like confetti.

[Bri chuckles] I got the lead!

I knew you could make it.
See? I told you. I told you.

I got the part of Kamala Khan. [chuckles]

I'm super excited about it.

Ugh, I'm shaking so much. [chuckles]
Take your phone.

I think I'm in shock.

I don't know how to feel. [chuckles]

[Bri]

[Ery] I'm someone somewhere at the bottom.

-[Bri]
-[Ery] Right there.

[Ery] Okay.

I'm excited, and it's a big deal to me
that I get to be a part of this.

I'm not shaking.
I'm just keeping all my excitement in.

But then when I get home, I'll be like,
"Ah!" [chuckles]

[cell phone rings]

-[Madi's mom]
-Hey. Guess what.

-I'm Squirrel Girl.
-[Madi's mom gasps]

I know. [chuckles]

I know, it's crazy. [chuckles]

Ms. Kyle told us that we were
gonna be doing the Marvel plays,

and I never thought
that someone like me would have a role.

[Madi's mom]

[Madi] Mm-hmm.

-God, I can't really get my hopes up...
-[Madi] But, seeing Squirrel Girl...

When I saw her, I was very surprised.

She was thick, she had curves,

and she had red hair,
and she had freckles,

and I was like, "Oh, my God.
That's a superhero?"

[Madi's mom]

Thank you.

I love you too.

Bye.

That's my mom. [chuckles]

-[Ms. Kyle] All right, guys, let's go.
-[girl] Yes, ma'am.

[chattering]

[Ms. Kyle] Go, go, go, go.

Drop your bags and drop your phones.
All you need's a pencil and a script.

Okay, so here we go, page 26.

Follow along even if you're not
on the page, right?

All right.

[Ms. Kyle]
Bri's gonna climb through the window...

-across the desk and...
-[groans]

"Need food."

-"Is this how I've raised my daughter?"
-[gasps]

"And what do you have
to say for yourself?"

[Ms. Kyle] The message within Ms. Marvel
about believing in yourself first

and caring about how you see yourself

is really imperative for teenagers.

"No one even knows who Ms. Marvel is."

"Shh, you don't want
the whole school to find out."

[Ms. Kyle] Because they're surrounded
by so much negativity...

[student 2] "And then when she fell
off the fire escape,

I couldn't help it.
I almost died laughing."

[C.J.] "I can just picture it."

"She calls herself Ms. Marvel?
More like Miss Complete Disaster."

-[Ms. Kyle] Everyone laugh.
-[students laugh]

[Bri] "Please tell me someone
actually liked my fanfic.

After the day I've had?

Oh, Google alert! I'm on the news?

Ammi, what are you doing here?

Ammi, not here. This is superhero stuff.

You wouldn't understand."

I've always loved acting
since I was a little child.

I used to put on little shows
for my family.

My whole family believed in me like,

"Oh, you're gonna be a star one day.
Oh, you got this." [laughs]

The older I got,
since I was still interested in it,

my friend told me about Blake High School.

It's an art school,
and I tried out for theater.

And I didn't think I was gonna get in,
but I did, and I was so...

Oh, my gosh, I was so happy.

[chuckles]

The first week,
we already had an audition for a play.

I tried to pretend
that I knew what I was doing,

but I've never watched a play
in my life...

and I did terrible.

I ended up crying, bawling my eyes out,
'cause I embarrassed myself.

As time went on,
I ended up getting very anxious.

I was struggling a lot.

And so, my mom took me out of Blake.

We signed up at Brandon.

When I left Blake, it felt like...
I was leaving my dream behind.

All right. So we're good? We get going.

[Bri] But then I met Ms. Kyle.

All right, Jessica...
wherever she is. There she is.

[Bri] With Ms. Kyle,
I was able to have one-on-one talks.

When we started the play, she said,

"How do you relate to your character,
and what is she going through?"

Don't even think about it, tree.

If I could take burglars and bad guys,
I can take you.

Kamala, she's quirky and fun.

She has her small circle of friends,
and she likes to be accepted.

She has her own little act
that she puts on.

Later on, she realizes, like,
this facade is not who she is

and how she can be accepted.

So once she becomes herself,
she gets accepted.

Like, once I was myself...

Tonight was my best fight ever.

I got cast as Kamala.

Ms. Marvel, Jersey City's new local hero.

[Ms. Kyle] I think casting Briana as
Kamala will give her the confidence boost

to know how good she actually is.

[Bri] My dreams aren't over.

This is just the start.

It was another typical evening
in Jersey City.

Wait, no,
that's the wrong line. [chuckles]

It was late at night,

and there was a shakedown
going down at Jersey City Deli.

[chattering]

[school bell rings]

I need six chairs. Let's go.

Seven chairs, I lied.

-[Madi] Seven chairs?
-[Ms. Kyle] Seven chairs.

[girl] One's supposed to be here.

Joey, in this scene, you're walking
through while you're talking to them.

I wouldn't say that we've progressed
on our lines or on the show itself,

but everybody is now comfortable
in knowing who their character is.

"I am your substitute,
Professor M.O.D.O.C.,

M-O-D-O-C."

My character is M.O.D.O.C.

I relate to him in the fact
that he's got every step calculated.

He knows what he's about to do
before he does it.

"I hear that you are the smartest students
in Empire State University.

So I know
you will figure out this problem."

Whiteboard.

I think that once I get
my mind set on something, I will do it.

"But that problem is a hard nut to crack."

"Exactly."

"Class dismissed."

Seventh period
is getting a little more comfortable,

but sixth period is still highly
an introductory class.

Remember, your body should be open
to the audience.

Start where she rises from the bed,

so the Captain Marvel,
Iron Man thing. Okay?

They're getting used to
the process at this point.

"A mirror has most value when broken.
Give your heart--"

That was your line?

-[Bri] I wasn't done.
-You weren't?

-It's okay.
-Okay.

"A mirror has most value when broken.

Give your true heart.
Let your pride dissipate."

Y'all...

-Is it my line?
-[Ms. Kyle] Yeah.

Okay. "Give your true heart.
Let your pride dissipate.

A mirror has most value when broken."

-Are you okay? What's wrong? What's wrong?
-Huh?

-What are you doing?
-[Ery] Okay.

I was trying to get a chance to, like--

I don't know where I was supposed to go.
Like, you know,

I know that I'm supposed
to put my arm out.

I know where I'm supposed to be walking...

Even though this is an elective
and I didn't pick it for myself,

I'm actually glad
that the school picked it for me.

Before I got into this class,

I never thought that I would be somewhere
on a stage, actually saying something.

I don't know, it's a-- Like--
It's a big deal to me because I used--

I still am a little bit insecure.

I feel like I'm gonna mess up
and that everybody's gonna laugh.

I do connect with Kamala Khan like that...

because she was trying to fit in,

and I do remember some times where I was
trying to fit in too, but it never worked.

I was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico,

and as an infant,
I was diagnosed with cancer.

I had to be in the hospital
for a few years.

When the cancer was cleared,
my parents split up,

and so then we ended up moving to Texas.

From then on,
it was just me and my mother.

We spoke a different language,
and we were a different race,

so it was really hard for us
to be fitting in.

But about three years ago
we moved to Brandon...

and I met Briana.

Ery is my best friend.

We live literally doors down
from each other.

I know Ery has a lot of anxiety.

I've had a lot of anxiety.

It's a hard thing to go through
because it literally breaks you down

and causes you not to do
what you want to do.

[Ery] Briana, she's really helpful.

She calms me down when she's there,
when I'm rehearsing.

She doesn't judge me.

She's loud,
so that means I can be loud too.

"Being a hero is not about
how good you feel

or how glamorous you look
when you're out to save the world.

It's about keeping"...

..."keeping on doing the right thing

-no matter what."
-[Ery] ..."no matter what."

[Bri] I've had to go through that myself.

It took so many years to just,
like, get me out of my shell,

and I don't want her to go through that.

Like, she has the opportunity
to show herself now,

and I want her to just take that.

She taught me that it's better
to stand out than to fit in.

[both chattering, laughing]

Her friendship
is what I needed most of my life.

[chattering continues]

[Ms. Kyle] And what do you guys think
about the play?

-[student 3] Um, I think--
-[student 4] I personally like it.

How about you, Rori? Do you like it?

Do you think one of the boys
can have a pink cape?

-I mean...
-[Ms. Kyle] What's going on with my tree?

I'm making a tree, which is something
that I can't do here

because we're not allowed
to have power tools.

So I have to make the tree at home...

and I don't really have
that many things to do.

I am the guy who makes the tree,
and that's about it.

[school bell rings]

[Ms. Kyle] Okay, so we are running
the show like we actually would.

Your script can be on your person
as long as you are not onstage.

All right? Let's do this.

Today the kids have to be off-book,

and what that means is they have
to have the entire script memorized.

[Bri] Wait, what? Hold on.
That was not the right scene.

Wait, I have a lot of lines on this one.

[Ms. Kyle] Sixth period
is a different dynamic.

Jamaul, you gotta be onstage for this.
Here, move it more here.

We've got 12 actors
who are brand-new to this...

Right there. Perfect. Awesome.

[laughs]

-[Ms. Kyle] But they are learning.
-Should I be here? I don't know.

[Ms. Kyle] Yeah, you can be over there.

I'll give you a clipboard,
you can have some fun with some stuff.

-Let's just go back to you see in...
-[Bri] You can just go from right here.

-I'll just come through.
-[Ms. Kyle] Okay. Now walk forward.

What's the real first line, "Hey"?

-Yeah.
-[Jamaul] Okay.

-Hey.
-[Bri] Hey.

Are you using
any of these extra solar panels?

No.

Do you mind if I just...

[laughs]

[Ms. Kyle] Come on, Bri.

A lot of them are multiple characters,
so it's a slower process with them.

"Do you know the gender gap
of the school, of the 15 million girls..."

-[Bri] Slow it down.
-You're fine. Breathe. You're fine.

I can remember the little parts,
but with the big parts,

it's just gonna take me a while
to remember.

"You're a strong, independent,
courageous, brave woman,

and you're beautiful
just the way you are."

[Ms. Kyle] All right, we're gonna take
a pause. Everyone come out here.

So...

when I said off-book day,
I meant off-book day, right?

-Yes.
-[all] Yes.

[Ms. Kyle] You need to look over
your stuff,

specifically, also blocking
and all that. Okay?

On that calendar I gave you guys,
it gave you after-school times

that I would be available
to work with you if you needed it.

Today is the first one of those.

Like anything you guys do,
practice gets you better at it.

All right, the bell is gonna ring
in about 30 seconds.

-Ms. Kyle? You're here the whole week?
-Yes. Yeah.

Class is over.

[school bell rings]

[sighs] I'm so scared. I don't know why.
I'm never this nervous.

Well, you're scared that you're gonna
mess up your first line. I can imagine.

Here we go.

[Christina] Scene one, "The Beginning."

[Ms. Kyle] Seventh period,
for the most part, the cast is onboard.

They're ready.

Oh!

Here, let me help you out with this.

Oh, no, I got it. [chuckles]
See you tomorrow. Bye.

You're strong, girl.

[Ms. Kyle]
Majority are experienced in this.

[student 5] So, you're my new roommate?

Yes, I'm Doreen.

So, you met Tomás, huh?

Oh, you mean the totally hot,
cute, personable guy

who spoke to me in a warm,
inquisitive and respectful manner?

[student 5] Yeah, him.

Didn't notice. [chuckles]

"Those smart, ambitious kids

will spend the whole night
trying to solve that problem."

I was going over my lines
'cause I just wanna try to get it

as perfect as possible
instead of mixing it up.

And tomorrow
I will connect their brains to mine

and suck out all their knowledge
and turn it into a priceless algorithm.

[clears throat]

[Ms. Kyle] Instead of "algorithm,"
it's "code." "Code to conquer the world."

-"And turn it into a priceless--"
-[Ms. Kyle] No, just "code." Just "code."

[Bri] "Code to conquer the world,"
and then you say "Ha ha ha."

And turn it into code
to conquer the world.

[laughs]

When I was a kid, I had to learn
Bible verses almost every week.

And if I didn't have most
of the verses memorized, I'd get punished.

I would sit there and I would just think,

"How long is it gonna take me
to remember this?

If I don't remember this in time,

what's going to happen tonight
when I go home?"

Learning those verses
made me build a mind-set

to where I had to say each line
absolutely perfect.

And now that's
what transitioned to theater.

One more time, are you ready to learn?

[all] Yeah!

-[Darence] Computer!
-[all] Science!

-[Darence] Computer!
-[all] Science!

-[Darence] Computer!
-[all] Science!

Wonderful. Now let's begin.

[Ms. Kyle] Blackout.

Good job, y'all.

-That was-- I enjoyed that. [laughs]
-[applause]

-[girl] I tried.
-[Madi] Chorus was so good.

[Ms. Kyle]
But please still glance over your lines,

'cause some things were said wrong
or just pieces of lines were left off.

But you guys had a good flow,
so we really didn't wanna stop you. Okay?

[school bell rings]

[chattering]

Miss Kyle, can I ask you a question?

Sure. Let's park it.

-I'm having trouble with my lines.
-[Ms. Kyle] What's up?

Do you wanna start
with the one we went over today?

-[Jamaul] Sure.
-Okay.

Is it more the order of 'em
or remembering which part of the script?

I usually get confused
with both classroom scenes.

Okay. All right.

So sometimes, the best thing is to do
is almost summarize it.

It's what's the point of one rant
versus the other, and go,

"This one's first,
then this one's second."

So yeah, I could just
make a chunk of this be like,

-"Her stealing." A chunk of this...
-Mm-hmm.

[Ms. Kyle] In the beginning of the class,
Jamaul would prefer to speak to no one

and just be, you know, headphones,
on the tablet, in his hoodie, like,

"I have to take this class."

But now I've noticed
he's been trying a lot harder.

-"...down to the station."
-Yep.

Yeah, you guys did it early today.

[Jamaul] If you told me five years ago
that I was gonna be in a play,

I would be surprised.

I'm a shy person,
and I'm nervous about theater

because I don't know how I'm gonna perform
in front of everybody.

[dribbling basketball]

Growing up, I didn't have a mother.

I grew up with my dad,
but he owned a truck company,

and he had to spend a lot of time working.

I remember riding in the trucks
with my dad...

all day, pretty much, and long nights.

As I got older, I couldn't be
on the truck, and I had to go to school.

My mom and Jamaul's dad
are longtime friends,

so we started taking care of him
so he's not on the road with his dad.

Kyle's mom drove me everywhere.

She took me to school.
She worked with my homework.

She helped me, like,
sign up for football, basketball, track.

She was like a mom.

That's what, 21?

-Nah, that's 24.
-Twenty-four?

It's called 24 now 'cause Kobe died.

[Jamaul] Kyle's family,
they kind of adopted me...

and he was like,
"I'm gonna be your bigger brother."

Let's see what you got. Come on.

[Jamaul] When I was 16, Kyle and
Kyle's mom was moving to Brandon, Florida.

One more, one more.

Okay.

You know, does he wanna move
away from where his dad and--

It was tough, tough decision.

[Jamaul] Moving to Brandon,

I was leaving a lot of friends,
and I didn't know how I was gonna fit in.

When I was choosing classes,
my counselor said

theater might sound nice,
even though I'm new to it.

I didn't really know
what I was gonna be learning in theater,

but I just went with it.

[Kyle] First, when he started,
he wouldn't talk about it too much.

After a while, he'd come home
and start talking about it more

and saying the different things
that they're trying in class,

and he's getting this part.

Bruno, he kinda c*ck.

Like, he's the brain of the group.

-So you the brains of the group?
-Yeah.

[Kyle] You know, I'd seen
that he actually started liking it.

[Jamaul] It takes me a while
to get comfortable around people.

When I have trouble remembering my lines,
my peers in class help me.

I realize that there are opportunities
out there that I haven't realized before.

Always acting like you cool.

-[costumer] These will be perfect.
-[Madi] There's a string on this.

-Don't worry about strings.
-I wouldn't worry about that yet.

-We're just going for a sizing right now.
-[Madi] Okay.

[Madi's mom] These are the pants that
we thought we could make into the shorts.

[Madi] Those are huge.

[costumer] No, these are my small pair.

[laughs]
I don't know how I feel about that.

I started acting
when I was about nine years old.

I was, like, really, really confident.

I loved getting on stage and being like,

"Look at me. Look what I can do."

And then I got to middle school,
and it was completely different.

People would be like, "You can't sing,"

or I'll be like,
"Wow, I'm so skinny. I'm so pretty,"

and people would be like,
"You're not skinny or pretty. Shush."

It kinda messes with your brain,
and it makes you think like,

"If these people are saying it,
it must be true."

[costumer] All right, go get set up
because I need to fit that jacket.

The fitting room on the right
has more light.

[Madi] Fitting room on the right.

[costumer] Yeah.

[Madi] What I noticed was,
whenever I couldn't see myself,

I felt like I was winning
and I felt like I was super cute.

And then I would see myself in the mirror,
and then I get instantly hit with like,

"Ugh, you are not what you think you are."

I felt like in order to be an actor,

I needed to be, like, funny
because of my weight.

I need to make fat jokes
and stuff like that.

-I think I'm ready.
-[Madi's mom] Do you know you're ready?

-[Madi] Yeah.
-All right. One, two, three.

Awkwardly long pants,
but it's okay 'cause they'll get cut.

-Hey, that's okay. It's a costume fitting.
-[Madi] Yeah.

[costumer] Should we take you over
in front of the mirror?

-Yes.
-[costumer] Over there.

All right.

[Madi] Seeing Squirrel Girl

and reading about her being so fearless
about herself and, like, not caring...

it woke me up,
and I was like, "Wait a minute."

-Whoa!
-[laughs]

Okay. Okay, this is cool.

Okay, we have it put together now.

-[Madi's mom] How do you feel?
-I feel good.

She's not skinny,
and she can be a superhero.

And I was like...

"I'm not skinny.
I can be whatever I want."

There you go, Squirrel Girl.

[Madi laughs]

It made me realize
that not only was my mentality changing,

but I feel like
the world's mentality is changing.

Hi. I'm Doreen Green.

[costumer] All right.

-I think we've got it.
-[Madi laughs]

[chattering]

[Ms. Kyle] All right, guys, listen up.

So...

what did I tell you
about your lines? Be what?

-[Haley] Loud.
-Be confident.

-Oh. That too.
-I'm glad Haley said that.

-That too.
-Yeah, that too.

Be confident.
You know the show. All right?

-We can do this, y'all.
-[Ms. Kyle] Okay?

We got this. Cool. Let's go.

It was late at night, and there was a
shakedown going down at Jersey City Deli.

-[extra] Look! They have weapons!
-[Haley] Oh, no! We're all gonna die!

She'll protect us. Help!

[Ms. Kyle] With Ms. Marvel,
they feed off each other.

And if one person's not doing
what they're supposed to be doing,

then the ensemble is not working.

And once again, the daring Ms. Marvel rose
to the occasion

and prevented a heinous crime
from unfolding on the streets of her--

Whoa! My bad. Sorry. [laughs]

...of her beloved city.

[Ms. Kyle] Blackout.

Scene three. [sighs] Okay.

[Ms. Kyle] Briana is definitely
feeling the pressure of being Ms. Marvel.

It all surrounds her.

-Ms. Kyle...
-[Ms. Kyle] Yeah.

-...can I look over my script real quick?
-Huh?

-Can I look over my script real quick?
-No.

-[Bri sighs]
-[Ms. Kyle] Let's go.

-Guys, let's go.
-[Bri groans]

Wait.

-[Bri sighs]
-I believe in you. You got this.

She and I have had several conversations
about gaining her confidence back.

[Bri] So I was suspicious
for one tiny second.

Oh, my gosh. So I was... [laughs]

Come on.

-So I was confused for one tiny second.
-There we go.

She looked really suspicious.

-[Ery] Briana. Bri. Bri.
-[Bri] She's very mean.

[Ery sighs]

[Bri]

-[Ery]
-No.

-[Ery]
-[hyperventilates] No.

[Ms. Kyle] The main issue that she and I
spoke about is just characterization...

which will build as she's able
to drop the book and just be herself.

Okay, um, everyone come out.

I know you guys might not feel that,

'cause you guys are already telling me
that it didn't go well. It actually did.

[Ery] We know the show.
We just don't know our lines.

Just listen, and that includes
the rest of you in the scenes.

If you're like,
"Okay, it's two lines until I have a line

and they're not getting there,
let me go ahead and say my line."

Okay? Move the scene.

Does that make sense? Okay?

[school bell rings]

[sighs] We're gonna be late. Oh, my gosh.

[Ery] I don't mind. [chuckles]

[scoffs] I do.
I'm always late to this class.

I'm just scared on remembering too,
like, with lines. I wanna make sure--

Yeah, we're both
really bad at memorizing stuff.

[Bri] With blocking, I'm cool with.
Fine. Like, that's good.

But when I'm not supposed
to be doing anything,

like, it's not specific,
then I'm just like,

"This is my chance to shine
and do what I can."

But I get so scared that I don't do it.

I'm the main character,
so I feel like I have to, like...

-[Ery] The weight is on you.
-Yeah.

[chattering]

[Ms. Kyle] The desk is over there. Go.

[Karl] The tree definitely
still needs some work.

Trees are not supposed to be in two parts.
At least, I don't think so.

And I've never seen
a white tree either, so...

It needs to be painted
and put back together.

That is what must be done
in order to have a successful tree.

[Ms. Kyle] All right, hold on.

[C.J.] The play is tomorrow.

And it's-- It's crazy.
Like, it's-- It came up really fast.

There's still a lot of stuff
that we can work on.

[Ms. Kyle] Yup.

I'm ready.

[Jamaul] Yo, John,
make sure you know everything.

Don't be out there,
"Wait. What do I say?" Looking around.

Like, you really playing.

[Ms. Kyle] So, dress rehearsals
can be pretty chaotic,

but they always say,
"Bad dress rehearsal, great performance."

So, I live for that.

Scene one, "The Beginning."

[student 6]
Setting, Empire State University.

[chorus] Tomás.

Up next, Doreen meets Tomás.

[chorus] Too cute.

[Ms. Kyle] We are now one day away
from the performance.

[Bri] You don't understand.
No one is taking me seriously.

No one even knows who Ms. Marvel is!

Shh! Do you want the whole school
to find out?

And my mom is driving me up the wall.

[Ms. Kyle] The dress rehearsals
have been a different energy.

-Wow! That class was so engaging!
-[student 5] Innovative.

-[Andrew] And dynamic.
-And dynamic. I'm sorry.

[Ms. Kyle] Now that they're like,

"Oh, so this is actually
what it's gonna be like,"

I think both classes see
what they need to focus on and work on.

[Jamaul] John, remember this line.

"Good luck with that.
Yeah, people will admire that."

We have one more day left for the play,

and me and John have
a little bit of difficulties remembering.

So, yeah, I had a crush on her,

but she really never
showed any interest, right?

Uh... hey,
Kamala and you just friends, right?

Right.

I was trying to show him,

like, if he could kinda remember
a few lines out of my line,

it could kinda help him
remember what his line is.

"Mike."

Mike, yeah.

Yeah, Mike, my girlfriend. She's amazing.

[Jamaul] Just get up and go.

Just be like,
"I'm glad I made my point clear."

All right. Uh, I'm glad we could talk.

See you in physics, man. [grunts]

[Christina]
The evil villain monologue, smart,

delusional, and zero self-doubt.

By a series
of computer experiments gone wrong,

I became who and what I am now, M.O.D.O.C.

But I will change my name to M.O.D.O.C.

[student 5] That's the same name.

Except the "C" for "computing"
will now be "conquering."

[Andrew] These names are not healthy.

[sighs]

You wanna bet?

[Ms. Kyle] It's dance off, Joey.
Come on. You got this.

Joey had a bad day today.

And when he gets thrown off,
he can't catch himself back to it.

All right, the bell's about to ring.

[Christina] You gotta not put
so much pressure

on yourself to say the exact right thing.

I think you're just being a little hard
on yourself. I've seen you do it.

[Joey] I couldn't even-- I couldn't even
make a word to go with what was going on.

[Madi] What helps me, if I blank,
is I think of it as if I was myself

and someone said that to me
and how I would respond.

[Joey] Just like everything else,
gotta get back up.

Keep on going.

[Madi] You got it, Joey. You got it.

You're the boy who's gonna be heard
from Mars.

[Sparano on PA]
Good afternoon, Brandon High School.

Boys basketball
end of season banquet today.

Please RSVP to Coach Ludwig.

Tonight is a big night on campus,
a night of marvelous acts. Come on out.

See our theater students working hard
portraying Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.

Here at the nest, 7 p.m. $5 tickets.

It's going to be amazing.

See you tonight.

-[coach] Toy boat.
-[students] Toy boat.

-[coach] Boat toy.
-[students] Boat toy.

-[coach] Irish.
-[students] Irish.

-[coach] Wristwatch.
-[students] Wristwatch.

-[coach] Red leather, yellow leather.
-[students] Red leather, yellow leather.

[indistinct]

With theater, there's always stakes.

You don't wanna get up on stage and do
something that you'll be made fun of.

I want them to feel
they did the best they can.

But, at the same time,
it's high school theater.

They just need to do it and have fun.

I'm kinda nervous.
I got butterflies in my stomach.

I'm worried about my scene
on the stage with John...

because that's when
the spotlight is on me.

-[Madi] How do you feel?
-I'm scared.

Same.

Do you think this is fine
for stage makeup?

-Yeah.
-I'm, like, really scared that it's not.

Scene ten, I think,
is one of my worst scenes,

'cause, like, something will happen,
and I'm like,

"What line is it? [chuckles]
Like, I'm confused."

And then it makes me look like
I don't know what I'm doing.

It's 6:29 and we have,
like, 30 minutes until--

Oh, God!
We have 30 minutes until it really starts.

-[director] What are you worried about?
-I don't know.

[sighs] I'm just nervous.

[woman] It's hard, I know.

But you can do it, okay?

If you mess up-- Briana, look at me--

It is not the end of the world.
Do you understand me?

Yes, Mom.

People are not perfect.
Do you understand me?

Okay?

-You got this girl. Okay?
-[girl] Listen. Listen to me.

[Bri]
I don't know what to do in this situation.

[Ery] Briana's really anxious,
and I'm hoping

that I'll be able to give her the support
that she gives me.

So, scene five is Kamala's bedroom
and that says that's right before there.

Scene six is our first switch.

No.

I feel like everyone is a little tensed
right now.

We're trying really hard.
Just people need to relax.

-Desk goes here.
-[Madi] Three minutes!

I wanna make sure that everyone knows,

-be loud.
-Be loud.

I have never performed
in front of a crowd this big.

I barely even perform
in front of my classmates.

There is a big audience today.
I am excited.

-[Rowan] Three minutes.
-Hey, Dan.

We're a couple minutes away from the show,

and I'm nervous about remembering
all my lines right now.

Now that the show's getting so close,
I'm getting super jittery, you know.

It's out there, Dylan!

But if people mess up tonight, we're
gonna improvise and just do our best.

Okay. We gotta go. We gotta go.

-Go, go, go.
-Okay. I'm getting placed.

There's a lot of people out there.

And I think we're gonna k*ll it.

-[Christina] Are we going?
-[Madi] Yeah.

-I think. Come on.
-[Christina] One, two...

[Rowan] Here she comes.

Today, dear friends,
we present a dramatic work like no other.

Doreen meets Nancy.

[chorus] In the dorm!

Yes, my name is...

[chorus] Not Squirrel Girl!

I am Doreen.

I came to college
to make lifelong friends.

I came here to study
with Professor Brightmind.

Me too.
He's considered the greatest in the field.

-Engaged!
-Innovative!

-And dynamic!
-And dynamic!

[Madi] I was really worried that there
was gonna be some awkward moments there,

but I feel like every time
I get on stage, my confidence boosts.

[applause]

Hello, class.

I hear you are the smartest students
in Empire State University.

So I know you can solve this problem...
by tomorrow.

-What? Tomorrow?
-Tomorrow?

My personal favorite part
was honestly Joey.

I know he was under a lot of stress
trying to remember everything.

[Joey] I did what Ms. Kyle told me to do,

and if I forgot a line, improv,
and it worked out well.

Now, I will take your abilities
and rule the world!

[Madi] Not so fast!

-[student 5] Doreen?
-[Andrew] Doreen?

[students] Doreen Green!

[Madi] Yes, and...

Squirrel Girl!

-[all] What?
-Oh, thank nuts!

[Joey] I'm amazed.

I can't find any other word than "amazed"
because tonight went so well.

How about a dance off?

Not a dance off!

[Joey] I think I'm coming
a really long way.

Nothing has to be perfect, because your
imperfections are what make you special.

[Madi] I feel so, like...

Squirrel Girl is such a body-positive,

empowering woman, and I'm
definitely proud I played her part.

[Christina] I think the show means
a lot more to a lot of us.

It's more relatable than a lot of other
shows we've done, so it has, like...

It sits with us. I think we all
relate more to our characters.

What should anyone do when someone tries
to squash your dreams and individuality?

Do the thing that scares you the most.

[Andrew] Doreen, will you go out with me?

Yes!

Dance!

[all] Squirrel Girl, superhero!

She's on fire! She's positive!

Squirrel Girl! Watch out!
Here comes Squirrel Girl!

End of play! The end!

[all] Nuts kick butts!

[applause, cheering]

[Bri] What do I do?

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

[applause]

[Bri] Ooh! Ouch! [grunts]

Don't even think about it, tree. [grunts]

If I could take burglars and bad guys,
I can take you.

[grunts]

Tonight was my best fight ever.

I'm sure it's all over the news by now.

"Ms. Marvel,
Jersey City's new local hero."

[chuckles]

Nothing?

[sighs] Well, like they say, "You want
something done right, do it yourself."

There's a lot of lights up there.

I was moving a lot,
saying a lot, remembering a lot.

It was a lot.

[sighs] Oh, but I enjoyed every second.

[Trinity] Kamala,
about your science fair project...

[Bri] Thanks, Ms. Norris.

I'll finish the project in time. Bye.

I didn't need to be worried at all.

I definitely did gain my confidence back.

I was stealthy. I was sassy.

I was super strong. Yes! I k*lled it!

[Jamaul] Come on.
Y'all gotta put the tables out here.

[Dylan] Guys, tables.

[whispering] Wait.

We've worked months on this,
and we were prepared.

My thing with Kamala is,
I feel like she's taking me for granted.

I mean, we've been friends
since, like, forever.

-[John] Yeah?
-[Jamaul] She's amazing,

but she doesn't really
always pick up on stuff.

We knew that somebody
was gonna forget a line.

Yeah. Go on.

So, yeah, I had a crush on her,

but she never really showed
any interest, right?

She has this, I guess, this part-time job.

But, if we were to improvise
as quick as possible,

it would look like no mistakes were made.

Yeah, see you in physics, man.

Thanks, Gabe, for listening.

I just hope that Kamala's safe,
in a friend kind of way, you know?

[applause]

[Bri] I think they enjoyed it.

I've heard some laughs and some aws.

I know Ms. Kyle is very proud of us.

[Ery] Because that was
my first time on the stage,

I didn't know what was gonna happen.

I didn't know if I was gonna collapse,
you know, faint, or something.

Bruno, ready?

Hi, I'm Kamala.

I've heard so much about you.

Hi. Me too.

Um, Nakia and Bruno
talk about you all the time.

I thought I was gonna mess up
at least, like, ten times, but I didn't.

And I am so happy
that we all worked together.

And we basically became a family
when we went out there.

Is this the mirror
that shows you who you are?

[Ery] Be yourself, Kamala.
Tell it like it is.

Be myself?

Playing Ms. Marvel, I've learned
that [sighs] I think too little of myself,

that I put myself down too much.

And I really shouldn't.

I never thought
I would be a lead character.

But being a hero is not about

how glamorous you look
when you're out fighting crime.

It's about keeping on
doing the right thing no matter what.

Now I can really
just be confident next time

and not just have
a whole breakdown. [laughs]

[applause, cheers]

Oh, my God! [laughs]

[Bri] Good job, Joey.

[Sparano] I couldn't be prouder.

The messages were awesome.

I would listen and hear the remarks
from the audience

and the laughter and the chuckles,

and you could see the relationships
that they built with each other.

You could see their confidence,
their exuberance.

And I love the connection
between the Marvel story line

and incorporating that into teenage life.

Here you go. This is from me and your
dad, and this is from Nana and Pee Pop.

[Madi] It smells pretty.

-Oh, I love you. I love you.
-[Madi] I love you.

-[Madi's mom] You did so good.
-Thank you, Mama.

You did good.

I mean, he can't do anything better
than that. He did great.

He found something new, and he likes it,
so I see the acting in his future.

[Jamaul] When I came into the class first,

I didn't know what to expect,
and I was just going with the flow.

But I feel like I've adjusted
to feeling comfortable.

Shh! Do you want the whole school
to find out?

[Ms. Kyle] Wrong way!
You went into the wall. [chuckles]

Boom, right into the wall.

I think that I'm good at acting,

and I decided to sign up
for theater next semester.

Okay, do you want the whole school--

because Ms. Norris just,
like, all these people just...

As a teacher...

all you want is to watch growth
in your students.

When I was a math teacher,
I could see it in the numbers.

You could see it in test scores.

Within the theater classroom,
it's different.

It's levels of confidence.

It's learning their lines.

It's helping out other people.

Working with these kids
has made me more aware

of what I'm trying to do as a teacher...

and realize how important it is to me...

that my students do take something away.

Just talking to some of the kids,

it seems that they've learned...

something more about themselves.