LITMIR.BIZ

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was reciprocal and girls could audition for female roles at St Francis and other similar schools in LA. Luis was a couple of years’ older, which might have been an attraction for a teenage schoolgirl. Meghan was already a mature, well-travelled young woman. She had enjoyed a trip to Europe in the summer holidays with Ninaki Priddy, her parents Dalton and Maria and sister, Michelle. While Niki was not involved in drama, she was in Meghan’s class at school and they remained close.

      This was a dream trip for anyone, taking in Belgium, Switzerland, Paris and London, where the two girls posed for photographs in front of Buckingham Palace. Much corny significance would be made of this picture many years later when Meghan actually met the Queen, but for now she was just another tourist taking in the sights of the capital as millions of others have done. At this point in recent history, by far the most interesting and charismatic person within the Royal Family was Princess Diana, who was much loved in the US.

Meghan was readily accepted by the Priddy family, a common theme throughout her life – until she met Prince Harry. She was also well liked by the Segura family and was a regular visitor to their Pasadena home while she was dating Luis. It helped that his sister Maria was at Immaculate Heart, in the year below. Meghan also got on well with his younger brother, Danny, encouraging him to try his hand at acting, too.

      Meghan’s own acting was progressing; she came more into her own in her next role in the perennial favourite, Annie. She played two parts – the quiet orphan, July, and Star-To-Be, an up-and-coming Broadway performer, which was exactly what Meghan hoped to be. In the latter role, she had a small solo in the song ‘NYC’.

      For each production, Gigi would audition something like fifty girls for maybe no more than twelve roles. She was what she termed ‘colour blind’ in that she cast on the basis of ability and audition – not on ethnicity or the colour of someone’s skin – a way of thinking that TV and the motion picture industry is only now coming around to. The role of Annie herself, for instance, was secured by Meghan’s friend, Danica Rozelle, a young African–American girl.

      Gigi kept it as professional as possible, with proper callbacks before she made a final decision. For Meghan, it was good practice for what would become her life as a working actress. After she had cast each role, Gigi checked to see if any of those who missed out would like to be in the crew. Everybody involved would then be called for a reading – the cast on chairs around a long table with the crew sat right behind, listening so that they too would really get to know the play or musical.

      Gigi gave all her girls with acting ambitions one important piece of advice – she told them that there were no small parts. Gigi explained, ‘I wanted everyone to know that they were part of the whole. If they just had three lines, they needed to know that those three lines were very important.’ Meghan would remember that advice during the years when she struggled to get substantial roles.

After casting, it was six weeks of intensive learning of lines, songs and then rehearsing. Meghan’s dad turned up to watch one evening and was swiftly enlisted as Gigi’s technical advisor. She observed, ‘I am very grateful to him. Very honestly, he was my right-hand person for many years.’ Tom’s involvement was an encouragement for Meghan during high school. ‘Theirs was a very warm and very special relationship,’ continued Gigi.

      The week before opening night was a frantic one, with rehearsals starting right after school at 3.30 and continuing until 6pm. Tom would slip out to McDonald’s to fetch much-needed fuel for the troops. He was at the helm for tech run-throughs while the musical numbers came under the watchful eye of Joe. On the Thursday before the Saturday opening, the all-important dress rehearsal would go on late into the evening. This was crucial for Tom, because the lighting was different after dark.

      Annie ran for four nights in March 1996 when Meghan was fourteen. As a school tradition the programme had lots of thanks and little notes and best wishes. Meghan’s ‘biography’ said ‘she loves singing, smiling and dancing, and hopes to shuffle off to Broadway some day. Meghan is proud to have two roles in this year’s musical and wishes to thank everyone who helped and supported her (especially Ashley, Danica and, of course, Yasmine).’

      Tom received special thanks for ‘parental sweat’. He wrote, ‘To my ‘Star-To-Be’ and the cast and crew of Annie. I’m proud of you all. BREAK A LEG. Love Tom Markle (Daddy).’

      As part of Gigi’s preferred policy of alternating a musical with a more conventional drama, Meghan was cast as one of the would-be actresses in a production of Stage Door, the successful play that had been a memorable film in the thirties starring Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers. Luis was in it, too, which was a bonus.

Meghan had the role of Judith Canfield, played in the film by Lucille Ball who, coincidentally, had donated to Immaculate Heart the stage on which they performed. Her daughter, the actress Lucie Arnaz, is another former pupil of the school; fittingly Meghan’s favourite TV show as a child had been Lucille’s classic comedy I Love Lucy.

      It was time for Meghan to make more of an impact. She had her most substantial role yet in the Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods, the clever interweaving of favourite fairy tales. Meghan was cast as Little Red Riding Hood and, in Gigi’s opinion, ‘just stole the scenes that she was in; she was really adorable’.

      Meghan worked very hard in rehearsal, especially singing ‘Hello, Little Girl’. She needed to; Gigi would sit at the back of the hall during run-throughs and bellow out that she couldn’t hear her, encouraging her to project her voice to the four corners of the auditorium.

      The spring term production ran for four nights in late March 1997. This time the programme notes made fascinating reading: ‘Meghan is happy to be skipping on stage as Little Red Riding Hood. Meghan wants to pursue acting at Northwestern on her way to Broadway. Meg wishes to thank her supportive parents, her loving boyfriend, and the always encouraging Becca and Michelle. I love you all so much.’

      Her father gushed, ‘Congratulations and Best Wishes to my Wonderful Daughter Meghan and the entire fantastic and hard-working cast and crew of Into the Woods. You are all just great! Break a Leg … Tom Markle.’

Meghan may have been only fifteen but she was already clear about what lay in store for her – Northwestern University in Chicago followed by the bright lights of Broadway. In her junior year, the conventional play was The Women, the famous all-female comedy of manners by Clare Boothe Luce that was first performed in New York in 1936. Renowned as a passionate public speaker, the writer was a figure to inspire any ambitious schoolgirl – the first American woman to be appointed an ambassador abroad when she headed the US Embassy in Rome.

      The film had become one of the most famous films of the thirties, starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell as Sylvia Fowler, the role that Meghan would play. She followed that with the part of Maisie in the Sandy Powell musical The Boy Friend, a vivacious homage to the 1920s. Meghan had gradually worked her way to close to the top of the cast list in school productions. This time the Segura family was represented by Danny.

      Drama at school was very much Tom’s domain. He even continued helping after Meghan had graduated. Gigi only remembers meeting Doria once or twice during the whole time that Meghan was involved in productions at Immaculate Heart. Her mother was still encouraging her caring side, however; she supported her decision to return to Skid Row and help at the Hippie Kitchen, three years after her first visit.

      Meghan was inspired by Maria Pollia, who had been her theology teacher as a junior. They talked about the teenager’s misgivings. Maria, who herself volunteered at the kitchen, was able to reassure her that those feelings were perfectly acceptable and understandable but that she should remember ‘to put the needs of others above your own fears’. Maria was herself an alumna of Immaculate Heart and had been given the same advice when she was a student.

Meghan went back to dish out plates of food and clear tables with fresh resolve. She remembered the names of the people she served. She began to properly understand the meaning of community spirit – something that would serve her well when she connected with the women of The Hubb Community Kitchen following

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