Junior Jessica Carl will be starring in Rochester High School’s upcoming production of Moon Over Buffalo. Although, it’s not uncommon territory for her, this will be her third leading role this year.

Carl talks about the process she undergoes to prepare for auditions.

“I’ll be honest, by junior year, I procrastinate and pick out my monologue and memorize it all the night before,” Carl said. “I have yet to begin preparing the morning of, but I’m aware that some of my cast mates have done so.”

Carl comments on the difficulties of the differing auditions for musicals and plays.

“Play auditions are way easier than musicals. For musicals you have to prepare so much more material because there is acting, singing and dancing,” Carl said. “With plays, it’s just acting, so there’s a little less pressure. I never let myself audition if I don’t feel like I’m doing my best.”

Carl speaks out about the stress that being a lead can cause academically.

“Academically it can get frustrating, especially when rehearsals go late, or when we have shows during the school day or on a school night. Teachers sometimes have a harder time understanding what we are doing after school and why I’m mouthing nonsense words (my lines) during class,” Carl said. “We put a lot of time and effort into our shows, and it can get challenging to balance AP classes with your hobbies. But I’ve made it work for the past few years and I’ll keep on making it work as long as I can.”

Carl talks about her upcoming show and what she’s looking forward to.

“I’m most excited for the physical comedy aspect. I’ve done comedy before but never this “out there,”” Carl said. “The way Charlotte (my character) and George (my character’s husband) are introduced, is probably one of the most hilarious intro scenes I’ve ever had. I’m hoping that the physical comedy aspect really translates to the audience. It will be hard work, but a ton of fun.”