Two very different people, and yet they are the same

Silence.

The tension so thick, you could cut it with a knife. A hundred or more people, waiting expectantly. Waiting for her. Waiting for her to walk on and put on a show. She stands there, just beyond the wings, heart beating wildly in her chest. Her hands feel clammy, her breath comes in ragged gasps. She closes her eyes and wills her heart to slow down, breathing slowly, deeply.

This is it.

Removing her glasses, she picks up the mask from the little table beside her and touches it to her face, stretching the elastic over her head. At once, the mask becomes her — the plastic melds into her skin as though they are one and the same — and she is a different person completely. The clamminess is gone from her hands, her breathing becomes regular and her heart rate is normal. With more confidence than she previously thought possible, she steps out onto the stage.

This is her life. The wings are her comfort zone, where she can be herself, where few people truly know the person underneath the mask. The rest of the world only knows her as she is now — a different persona from her own. A character who has no inhibitions, who can be anyone she wants to be. The other person — the real her — is a little quieter, more softly spoken and gentle, with a slightly daft sense of humor and a tendency to keep things to herself. She is the girl whom no one really notices in real life. This person has learned the hard way that trying to be noticed for herself gives people the wrong impression about her. She’s learned that showing people what she can do tends to backfire. So she remains quiet, unassuming, continuing with her own life, waiting for the time to come when someone will notice.

Two very different people, and yet they are the same. There is the quiet, shy brunette who values friendship and loyalty above all else, and then there is the dynamic, witty, funny actress.